It triggers when the lower jaw (mandible) is set back from the upper jaw (maxilla).
What Causes a Recessed Chin?
Some people are born with retrognathia, referred to ascongenitalretrognathia, while others acquire it later in life.
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Dental procedures like tooth extraction with braces can help correct the problem.
Studies have shown that the risk and severity of TMJ are directly associated with the degree of jaw misalignment.
Retrognathia can also causeobstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Illustration by Julie Bang for Verywell Health
The set-back position of a recessed jaw can increase the risk or severity of OSA.
How Is a Receding Chin Treated?
Depending on the severity of retrognathia, treatment may or may not be necessary.
If identified in early childhood, orthodontic treatments may help minimize the recessed appearance of the chin.
Braces and retainers can help realign crooked teeth.
MMA is performed in a hospital undergeneral anesthesia.
The major advantage of MMA is that it is the same surgery used to treat OSA.
A more complicated surgery calledmandibular osteotomyinvolves detaching the lower jaw and moving it forward in a single unit.
This procedure, used by Carol Burnett, requires your jaw to be wired shut during healing.
No amount of exercise can alter the position or size of these bones.
Oral appliances called bite plates can help prevent tooth grinding that can lead to TMJ.
Retrogenia is a condition often accompanying retrognathia in which the chin itself is small.
The treatment may involve dental appliances, orthodontic headgear, and jaw or chin surgery.
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