Maxilla Downgraft

[andyyyy37]

Hello, I’m new here. So I have barely any teeth showing when I smile. I also think I have a pretty wide and short face. It looks kinda chubby even though I’m really skinny. I also have TMJ pain on the right side of my face. I had braces when I was about 9 years old to “correct” an underbite. I didn’t have any permanent teeth extracted (only baby teeth). I also didn’t have a palate expander or any other type of device. I literally just got partial braces on my top 4 front teeth and molars. I honestly still have no idea how my orthodontist fixed my underbite like that because I never heard of anyone else being treated like this. So my questions are, do you think my maxilla/face is short because of my orthodontic treatment or is it just genetics? Also I’m korean and consulted maxillofacial surgeons there in Seoul and they all seem to be pretty relaxed about the procedure and tell me that it’s a simple and easy fix with surgery. Western surgeons seem to think it’s pretty complicated. Do you think that a maxilla downgraft will make my teeth show and make my face longer? I really want a longer face because mine is too short. If anybody has any experience with a maxilla downgraft could I ask you some questions please? Thank you!!

[GJ]

Photos or scans would help.

He likely fixed your bite by retroclining the front teeth. Are they very flared?

Class 3 is probably the easiest surgery. A downgraft complicates it more, but if they stabilize it with grafting (and plates) it should be stable, and it should result in more tooth show, yes. Make sure to ask about grafts and how they plan to stabilize the downgraft.

[andyyyy37]

Thank youuuu!! I can’t tell if they are flared. They look normal to me. I didn’t even know it was possible to camouflage an underbite with just upper braces. But thank you for your input (:

[andyyyy37]

Does anyone have any idea what my ortho might have done to “””fix””” my underbite and if it would’ve caused my maxilla to be so short?