Asymmetrical Jaws

Sometimes one side of your lower or upper jaw has grown or is growing faster than your other side. The result of this is called an asymmetrical jaw. In the best case, it is very unnoticeable on the outside and is not a big issue. But there are severe cases where your whole face can look asymmetrical.

Fixes:
1. Bands: Similar to the cases of having an overbite, there is a different fix if your mouth is still in the process of developing. When you are still growing you can get criss-cross bands that go from right-left or left-right depending on which side needs to be held back. (See post “Battle of the Bands” for pictures). This fix essentially stops the problem before it becomes too much to handle.

2. Surgery: The other option which would be advised when you have stopped growing and is similar to when you have an overbite. Here your surgeon will implant a piece of semi-soft material on the side that is smaller. Look at the following links for more information.

http://www.onlinetoothdoctor.com/jawsurgery.html

http://www.drposnick.com/orthognathic/amp.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Correction-of-Jaw-Asymmetry-With-Implants&id=1710445

As we were saying in the post about Head Gear, we would recommend that if you are still growing and you have a less severe case, try the band method. If your asymmetrical jaw is really bad and you want to fix it, chances are you will have to get the surgery.

-Erik and Amanda