Strain while smiling remains after bi-max

[ODog]

Hi guys,

I feel like my smile is still strained even though I had my maxilla advanced, lowered, and expanded. My bite is good now but There’s something off about my smile, it’s like I have to smile too hard, and it strains my face.

Is this caused by a too short maxilla or too a recessed one still? It’s frustrating because if my maxilla was lowered anymore than it was I’d have gum show. But maybe a little gum show isn’t a bad thing? I know around here VME and gum show is lauded as the worst thing for aesthetics, but I’ve noticed people with well-developed faces and maxillas usually have some gum show, especially attractive women. This gives them an easy, attractive smile, all teeth showing. Makes you look lively. My problem was and still seems to be the opposite - weak smile.

But what’s the cause ? Too short or too recessed maxilla ?

Although I still have braces which is undoubtedly pushing my lip outward a bit, my nasolanial
Angle is acute, so that would rule out a recessed maxilla? https://imgur.com/a/Hy9iv4H


I think it also has to do with my recessed midface digging in when I smile making the smile look off-putting. My teeth are also short so maybe I can get crowns or something.

This is my current bite: https://imgur.com/a/DNP9oGa

This is what I mean by strained smile: https://imgur.com/a/bKmDAFL

If I try to smile without straining or grinning like a child at chucky cheese, my teeth aren’t revealed completely: https://imgur.com/a/IEiWG00

[ditterbo]

What was your smile like before surgery, was there straining then too?   You've got fairly large buccal corridors right now.

Also is there a stiffness around your center-left side of your lower lip? It doesn't seem to follow the rest of the lip contour (which is something I definitely have but from a badly placed chin implant).

[ODog]

What was your smile like before surgery, was there straining then too?   You've got fairly large buccal corridors right now.

Also is there a stiffness around your center-left side of your lower lip? It doesn't seem to follow the rest of the lip contour (which is something I definitely have but from a badly placed chin implant).

The surgery didn’t cause the strain. It was worse before because my maxilla was even shorter. I just thought with a larger more forward maxilla I could smile more easily. But strain is still there like an underbite.

The buccal corridors would be fixed by widening the maxilla right? Unfortunately that would put me in a crossbite with the upper jaw being wider than the lower. Not sure what else would fix that?

Yeah stiffness but that’s nerve damage. That pic is old and the crooked smile has improved a bit. 

[ben from UK]

Odog, did you do the osteotomy to widen the jaw? I see you have braces on. What did you do?

Edit: I see you had work done on your maxilla. You never talked about maxilla from what I remember.

Huge improvement compared to your baseline before the chinwork. You literally changed your phenotype. Impressive work. This is the most intrusive change I've seen so far, it's like they made a whole new face. Incredible.

How's your jaw broader than before? Did you do chinwing as well?

[ODog]

Odog, did you do the osteotomy to widen the jaw? I see you have braces on. What did you do?

Edit: I see you had work done on your maxilla. You never talked about maxilla from what I remember.

Huge improvement compared to your baseline before the chinwork. You literally changed your phenotype. Impressive work. This is the most intrusive change I've seen so far, it's like they made a whole new face. Incredible.

How's your jaw broader than before? Did you do chinwing as well?

Yes maxilla was advanced, widened, and lowered for more tooth show. It was widened so that it could mesh properly with my lower jaw. My lower jaw is very narrow as you know, but my maxilla was narrower. If I had gotten the maxilla widened even more I’d be in a crossbite.

Nope, no chin wing, it’s just when I smile my muscle strain in my jaw make it look more square. Not like that on resting pose.

[ben from UK]

Yes maxilla was advanced, widened, and lowered for more tooth show. It was widened so that it could mesh properly with my lower jaw. My lower jaw is very narrow as you know, but my maxilla was narrower. If I had gotten the maxilla widened even more I’d be in a crossbite.

Nope, no chin wing, it’s just when I smile my muscle strain in my jaw make it look more square. Not like that on resting pose.

Thanks for the answer. When did you get the idea to do something with your maxilla? You never talked about it. I remember you talking about flat upperface and jawwidth, but never about the maxilla. Are you planning to do cw as well or more other procedures, or is this the end?