A Changhua woman underwent life-changing surgery to correct her underbite, which had affected her social life and made eating difficult, a doctor said on Monday.
The 18-year-old identified by the alias Hsiao Ching (小靜) wore surgical masks throughout high school, even when posing for graduation photographs, due to embarrassment over her 1cm underbite.
She said she only ever removed her mask to eat, but eating also was a challenge, and she was unable to bite through certain foods such as bread and noodles.
Photo: Liu Hsiao-hsin, Taipei Times
She added that she had been aware of the problem since she was very young and started going to the dentist, and as her lower jaw grew more askew from her upper jaw she found herself only able to eat softer foods.
Because she did not have the function of her incisors, Hsiao Ching relied on her molars to chew her food.
She would take 20 minutes to eat a bowl of minced pork rice, she said.
As she had worn a mask for so long and only ever covered her mouth with it — not her nose — she was often asked what was wrong with her, she said.
Out of embarrassment, she told people she suffered from allergies, she said.
After graduating from high school, Hsiao Ching decided to undergo surgery for her underbite before entering university.
Under normal circumstances an abnormal bite could be rectified with corrective measures by an orthodontist, Changhua County Christian Hospital doctor Su Chun-yang (蘇竣揚) said.
However, in cases such as Hsiao Ching’s, where abnormal growth of the jaw bone results in misalignment of the jaw, an overbite or an underbite surgery becomes necessary, he said.
Hsiao Ching’s condition had worsened with age as the jaw bone continued growing in the wrong direction, he said, adding that doctors used 3D-printing technology to assist them in the surgery.
Doctors were happy they could help Hsiao Ching regain confidence, he said.
Contrary to a misconception resulting from the popular Japanese toy line “Shakurel Planet,” in which animal with underbites are portrayed as smiling, people with underbites generally appear to be frowning due to the downward protrusion of the lower jaw, Su said.
After her surgery Hsiao Ching was able to smile naturally, he said.
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