Does maxillary impaction shorten the midface?

[x]

Specifically the space between the nose and upper lip? I haven't seen a definitive answer to this and it'd be one of the biggest draws for my getting it if I do.

And if it does, how would this affect the mouth if I don't have a really gummy smile?

[Eroica]

You say that you don't have a gummy smile, and it doesn't appear from your pics that you have any lip incompetence. You might not be a candidate for maxillary impaction. In some people this area is just naturally long and if you impact the maxilla you're left with soft tissue excess, no incisor show, and an aged appearance.

From your pics it does appear that your nasal columella looks very retracted, which strongly accentuates the nose-lip distance. That can easily be fixed with a rhinoplasty.

[Marisama]

I also have a regressive upper and lower jaw, and the right side of my maxillary is longer than the left, causing asymmetry. What can normally be done about these kind of things?

There are two videos on my blog that show how asymmetry is corrected.  I have the same thing as you.

[x]

Yeah I think I'm just going to put it out of my mind until my consultation cause I'm driving myself crazy with speculation.

[Eroica]

What's a retracted nasal columella?

The columella is the external cartilage attached to the septum. A retracted columella will tend to make the nose-lip distance appear much longer. See here on the right.

[x]

The columella is the external cartilage attached to the septum. A retracted columella will tend to make the nose-lip distance appear much longer. See here on the right.

Ah, I see. And the first pic is what it's supposed to look like?

I'm still kind of on the fence about plastic surgery though. At least with jaw surgery, I can justify the functionality of it, with PS it kind of just screams "I'm insecure".

[x]

So this article seems to almost hit dead on for me: http://doctorstevenpark.com/tag/recessed-chins

humped noses and droopy tips. Not once did any of my teachers mention why this happened in some people and how it also involves an narrowed airway.

Having a weak chin implies that your jaws are underdeveloped, which can lead to less space behind the tongue for breathing. Typically, your upper jaw will be recessed and narrow as well, leading to a high-arched hard palate, dental crowding, and a deviated nasal septum. Underdeveloped upper jaws can also lead to flat cheekbones, flimsy nostrils, and a droopy nose.

You’ll also see that most people with weak chins can’t (or prefer not to) sleep on their backs. This is because when supine, your tongue falls back due to gravity. When you add deep sleep and muscle relaxation, you’ll stop breathing, wake up, and turn over to your side or stomach. If you stop breathing at least 5 times per hour for 10 seconds or longer (and you’re tired), you have obstructive sleep apnea. But you can stop breathing 25 times per hour and not have any sleep apnea if your pauses are less than 10 seconds long.

It's interesting how much I've learned about anatomy and facial structure just by researching this stuff and figuring out root causes of things.

[Heavyweight]

I think so, but the effect isn't that dramatic. When the upper jaw is impacted, the lower jaw should rotate up, causing the lower lip to rise. This would help reduce lip incompetence, which might make the upper lip look shorter because it doesn't have to strain as much. Also, upper jaw advancement can decrease the nasolabial angle, causing the upper lip to appear a bit shorter, and can also elevate the nasal tip, causing the nose to appear shorter.

A more dramatic way to shorten the midface is to bring the lower jaw and chin forward. This should make the face straight instead of convex and therefore reduce the apparent length of the middle portion. I too was worried about the length of my midface, but it seems that bringing out my upper and lower jaws will make it fairly balanced.

[x]

I think so, but the effect isn't that dramatic. When the upper jaw is impacted, the lower jaw should rotate up, causing the lower lip to rise. This would help reduce lip incompetence, which might make the upper lip look shorter because it doesn't have to strain as much. Also, upper jaw advancement can decrease the nasolabial angle, causing the upper lip to appear a bit shorter, and can also elevate the nasal tip, causing the nose to appear shorter.

A more dramatic way to shorten the midface is to bring the lower jaw and chin forward. This should make the face straight instead of convex and therefore reduce the apparent length of the middle portion. I too was worried about the length of my midface, but it seems that bringing out my upper and lower jaws will make it fairly balanced.

After doing some more research, I think I agree with you. Luckily my lower jaw will need to be brought forward so hopefully this will help.

Right now my mouth has kind of a downward angle on the sides, which I think is also making the space look longer than it really is. Probably has to do with the weak mandibular or maxillary support or something.