An underbite is the misalignment of teeth, which is corrected with underbite surgery when especially severe. This surgery usually follows several years of the patient wearing orthodontic braces. People with severe underbites often have odd facial shapes due to the location of the affected jaw. The procedure is not just cosmetic in nature, however; correcting a severe underbite can result in healthier teeth and less jaw pain. Health insurance companies often consider underbite surgeries entirely cosmetic unless there is pain or the jaw is affecting the insured’s health in some other way.
The primary purpose of an underbite surgery is to properly align the teeth. Most people start with wearing orthodontic braces to straighten the teeth, a process that can take anywhere from several months to five years. During this time, the orthodontist might also suggest that the patient have lingering baby teeth or unnecessary teeth that are crowding the mouth pulled. Once the teeth are as straight as the orthodontist can get them, the person can move onto undergoing the actual surgery.
Underbite surgery is performed in the patient’s mouth, so there are no visible scars. The surgeon starts by cutting behind the patient’s gum to gain access to the jaw bone, which he or she also cuts through. Next, the surgeon positions the jaw to better align the teeth and secures this position with screws and plates. The patient wakes up in recovery with dissolvable stitches that disappear within a week or so. He or she cannot eat solid food for at least several days, and will have a swollen jaw.
When the surgery is complete, there is usually a noticeable change in facial appearance. For some, the different is slight; for example, the patient ends up with a slightly pointier chin. Others experience dramatic differences in appearance because of the severity of their underbites. Like all surgeries, there is some risk; in this case, the patient might lose and never recover some sensitivity. The jaw slowly regains normal function, but eating solid food usually causes some soreness and pain at first.
Underbite surgery is very costly and rarely covered by health insurance or free government health care because of its cosmetic nature. To afford the surgery, many people save money, take out a medical loan, or both. In some cases, if the underbite is severe enough and interfering with the overall health of a person, all or some of the cost is covered.