[Guide to protecting your appearance] Revealing the secret of mandibular retraction, helping you easily deal with the problem of "small chin"!

Author: Ouyang Ting, School of Stomatology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Postgraduate Science Lecture Team of the School of Stomatology, Huazhong University

Photo: Liu Chao, Jianghan University School of Medicine

Instructor: Yang Shengli Wuhan Union Hospital

🤔Nowadays, more and more parents are anxious about their children's appearance. They are not satisfied with their profile and their children have protruding teeth when observed from the front. Some adult patients also have this pain point. They are always afraid to smile when taking photos. Their mouths look protruding from the side, as if their chin is "missing"? This may be caused by mandibular retraction! Mandibular retraction is a common maxillofacial development problem. It not only affects appearance, but may also have adverse effects on oral function and mental health.

👀Mandibular retraction, as the name suggests, means that our chin has moved one step back relative to its normal position. When observed from the side, a distinct convex shape can be seen, giving the impression of a "short chin" or "no chin". If fat accumulates in the neck, a "double chin" appearance may also be formed. This type of situation is usually accompanied by a protruding mouth, protruding teeth, "buck teeth", incomplete lip closure, "the mouth cannot cover the teeth", etc. For people with extremely retracted mandibles, the airway may become narrow, and snoring may occur during sleep, affecting the health of the whole body, which needs to be taken seriously.

Let’s take a closer look at identifying and coping strategies for mandibular retrusion.

🔍Identification tips:

When looking in the mirror, observe the side lines. If the nose tip, lips, and chin are not in a straight line, it may be mandibular retraction. In a natural state, when the mouth is closed, the upper teeth cover the lower teeth too much, or the lower teeth are obviously retreated, which are signs of mandibular retraction.

Cephalometric analysis can more accurately assess the relationship of the mandible to the skull and determine the degree of mandibular retrusion.

🚀Coping strategies: Orthodontic treatment is the main means of dealing with mandibular retrusion. At different stages of growth and development, the correction strategies for mandibular retrusion have different focuses. The correction strategies should be individualized and staged, and appropriate treatment plans should be formulated based on the patient's specific situation and growth and development characteristics. In general, early intervention and correct treatment are essential to prevent further development of mandibular retrusion and improve the patient's quality of life.

Children (3-6 years old or older):

During this stage, children's jaws are growing rapidly. Bad habits such as chewing hands, sucking fingers, breathing with open mouths, and biting lower lips may lead to abnormal mandibular development, pushing the lower teeth forward and the chin relatively retracting. Therefore, parents and dentists should pay special attention to these bad habits and take measures to break them.

Intervention: Use specific orthodontic devices to help children correct bad habits and guide the jaw back to a normal growth trajectory.

Adolescence (9-12 years old):

Adolescence is a critical period for the development of maxillofacial bones, when the bones have greater development potential. During this stage, the child's face shape should be evaluated to determine whether there is mandibular retrusion, and the following measures should be taken:

Functional correction: Use functional corrective appliances such as TB (Twin Block) and Herbster to guide the mandible to grow forward, thereby improving the occlusal relationship and facial morphology.

Fixed orthodontic treatment: Use metal or ceramic brackets in conjunction with an archwire system to gradually adjust the force of the archwire to guide the teeth and jaws to move to the correct position.

Adult stage (>18 years old):

In adulthood, when jaw development is complete, correction of mandibular retrusion usually requires a more complex approach:

Surgery: For moderate to severe mandibular retrusion, combined orthognathic surgery, such as mandibular advancement, may be needed to move the mandible to a more appropriate position. Surgery is usually performed in adulthood, when the jawbone has stopped growing.

Concealing treatment: For some patients who do not need surgery or are unwilling to undergo surgery, tooth compensation or bone compensation can be used, that is, the incoordination of the jaws can be concealed and the facial shape can be improved by moving the teeth.

💪Don’t let your retracted jaw become a shortcoming in your appearance! From today on, pay attention to your oral health. Let us use scientific correction methods to let your chin bravely "stand out" and show a confident smile!