Key Insight: The term "underbite" has a specific clinical definition, primarily referring to a jawbone developmental abnormality. Typically, when biting down, the upper front teeth should overlap the lower front teeth. However, individuals with an underbite have their lower front teeth overlapping the upper front teeth. In such cases, patients may require jaw advancement surgery to correct the issue.
Teeth endure countless trials, facing diverse challenges like discoloration, misalignment, damage, cavities, protruding teeth, and underbites. How much do you know about underbites? How can this dental deformity be corrected?
Clinically defined, an underbite refers to a specific jawbone developmental abnormality. Typically, when biting down, the upper front teeth should cover the lower front teeth. However, individuals with an underbite have their lower front teeth positioned in front of the upper front teeth. To address this, patients often require jaw advancement surgery.
Regarding mandibular advancement surgery for underbite correction, plastic surgery specialists explain as follows:
I. Symptoms
When the mandible protrudes outward beyond its normal position, it causes an underbite.Under normal conditions, when the upper and lower teeth come together, the upper front teeth should bite over the lower front teeth. However, with a protruding jaw, this relationship is reversed, with the lower teeth slightly covering the upper teeth. This skeletal deformity of jaw protrusion is commonly known as an "underbite."
II. Causes
An underbite caused by a protruding jaw is a common dental and jaw deformity in children, often resulting from bad habits, jawbone injuries, or genetic factors.
Among habitual causes, the most prevalent is improper breastfeeding posture. Some young mothers or daycare providers often place infants supine in bed while holding a bottle for feeding. To grasp the nipple and suckle more easily, the infant extends the lower jaw forward. Over time, this habit leads to forward jaw development.Secondly, habits like biting the upper lip or thumb-sucking can also keep the lower jaw in a protruding position, leading to an underbite.
III. Treatment Approaches
Where possible, early correction of underbites caused by jaw protrusion is recommended. Early intervention for underbites in the primary dentition can minimize facial skeletal deformities.
For genetic cases of deciduous dentition underbite, even after correction, the condition may reappear after permanent teeth erupt. However, corrected cases are typically milder than untreated ones and may require relatively shorter treatment time for permanent dentition.Correcting permanent dentition underbites is more challenging than treating deciduous dentition underbites and yields slower results. Both deciduous and permanent underbite corrections require close cooperation and persistence from both the child and parents.
Adult mandibular protrusion correction requires combined expertise from orthodontics and plastic surgery, involving a three-phase surgical approach: preoperative orthodontic treatment, followed by jawbone reshaping surgery, and concluding with postoperative orthodontic adjustment.
Both adults and children may experience underbite dental malocclusion, but correction methods differ between age groups and require tailored treatment approaches. Additionally, selecting a reputable and qualified plastic surgery hospital is crucial for ensuring the success of protruding jaw correction surgery.