Masseter hypetrophy

[Sanj87]

Do i have hypertrophy? Basicaly at 13 i wore braces to correct an underbite but i didnt complete it and had them off early i was left with a edge to edge bite and posterior open bite. Im certain i have hypertrophy as you can see in the pic. Is this because of my open bite. Thank you ps on the left is when i was 15 or so right is me now 30

[kavan]

Doesn't look like it. Just more like a 'fleshy' face.

[Sanj87]

If you suck in your cheecks are the maaseters suppose too stick out alot? thats why im sure theres some hyperyrophy. Also i feel the bulginess is up newr my cheekbones not towards the bottom

[kavan]

If you suck in your cheecks are the maaseters suppose too stick out alot? thats why im sure theres some hyperyrophy. Also i feel the bulginess is up newr my cheekbones not towards the bottom

Well, you see them more relative to the 'suck in' concavity to the cheeks.

Masseter muscle  over the posterior jaw angle, around there would be where one would see hypertrophy if you had it.

[Lestat]

Hey Kavan, is it possible to get such masseter muscles by chewing with special chewing gum for years on end?

[Lefortitude]

wow, your orthodontist was garbage

[kavan]

Hey Kavan, is it possible to get such masseter muscles by chewing with special chewing gum for years on end?

Can't tell you for sure as to the extent the person in the photo I posted has it. But chewing stiff wads of gum CAN bulk up those muscles as can clenching the teeth.

[needadvancement]

Hey Kavan, is it possible to get such masseter muscles by chewing with special chewing gum for years on end?

Unless you've had a tough diet since childhood and always chewed hard types of food and lots of gum, it will will just end up with TMJ because your body can't start handling this type of chewing now. It's not worth the damage and pain to your teeth and jaws imo.

[fulcanelli]

Unless you've had a tough diet since childhood and always chewed hard types of food and lots of gum, it will will just end up with TMJ because your body can't start handling this type of chewing now. It's not worth the damage and pain to your teeth and jaws imo.

Do you have a evidence for this? I don’t see why it wouldn’t respond to training like other muscles in the body? The problem is that the muscle is used so often that it would be hard to get it to grow from chewing gum, a bit like calves for anyone into weight training. How long before someone comes up with a masseter training programme? 

[needadvancement]

Do you have a evidence for this? I don’t see why it wouldn’t respond to training like other muscles in the body? The problem is that the muscle is used so often that it would be hard to get it to grow from chewing gum, a bit like calves for anyone into weight training. How long before someone comes up with a masseter training programme? 

Well the muscles on the jaws/face aren't the same as muscles on the rest of the body, they work along with so many joints, discs, sockets and they work alone with the bones of the skull etc. I'm not an expert but I really believe that TMJ is inevitable for people who undergo a mass change in diet/chewing this late in life.

[sooq]

Do i have hypertrophy? Basicaly at 13 i wore braces to correct an underbite but i didnt complete it and had them off early i was left with a edge to edge bite and posterior open bite. Im certain i have hypertrophy as you can see in the pic. Is this because of my open bite. Thank you ps on the left is when i was 15 or so right is me now 30

I am a bit confused - I can't see any evidence of hypertrophy. You have quite an oval shape face. If they were bulky or hypertrophic your face would have more prominence and be more square. There does not seem to be a prominence around that area??

I have it and believe me you'd know if you did. My little buggers bulge out even if I just press my tongue onto the roof of my mouth. They bulge when I talk too. They hurt all the time because they are presumably exhausted from being hyperactive.

If anything you look like you may have a little fullness in the buccal fat pad area, but only very mildly. It would be easier to tell if you could post a 3/4 profile. In the picture attached you can see a guy with a full buccal area before he had the buccal fat pad removed. Does this look similar to you? Incidentally, I am NOT advocating the procedure, it is merely to visually highlight a fullness in that area, as opposed to masseter prominence.

[kavan]

I am a bit confused - I can't see any evidence of hypertrophy. You have quite an oval shape face. If they were bulky or hypertrophic your face would have more prominence and be more square. There does not seem to be a prominence around that area??

I have it and believe me you'd know if you did. My little buggers bulge out even if I just press my tongue onto the roof of my mouth. They bulge when I talk too. They hurt all the time because they are presumably exhausted from being hyperactive.

If anything you look like you may have a little fullness in the buccal fat pad area, but only very mildly. It would be easier to tell if you could post a 3/4 profile. In the picture attached you can see a guy with a full buccal area before he had the buccal fat pad removed. Does this look similar to you? Incidentally, I am NOT advocating the procedure, it is merely to visually highlight a fullness in that area, as opposed to masseter prominence.

Correct. He does NOT have masseter hypertophy.

[Sanj87]

Doesnt the masseter run up the face towards the cheekbones? Thats where i think the hypertrophy is higher up my face by mye ears

[sooq]

The muscle does extend up to the cheekbone, though for me the visible bulging is lower down than the cheekbone. I still can't see a bulge on your face even when looking higher up. When you bite down it would be pretty obviously sticking out beyond the natural line of your face.

It is pretty tricky to determine what is going with anyone's masseter from a static photo as we can't be sure what is bone/fat/muscle etc. It is easiest to assess in person and when the muscle is in motion. So I think if it really bothers you seeing a maxfax consultant is really the only way you'll get a definitive answer.

If does turn out to be hypertrophic, don't rush into botox - especially if you are not experiencing any pain. I've done it and it made my problems way worse. I did it for purely aesthetic purposes and I wish I had never started down that road.