Mandibular retrognathia is a typical dental and facial deformity. The word retrognathia comes from the Latin retro, which implies ‘backward’; and from the Greek gnaths which is ‘jaw’. In other words, it consists of a misalignment between the mandible and the maxillary bone.
Normally, the cause is that the mandibular bone doesn’t develop properly. Because of this, the jaw is positioned posteriorly and further back than normal. Thus, when taking a look at the profile of the affected person, the altered position could be easily seen.
The issue with this malformation is that it not only affects aesthetics, but also can result in a series of dental and health complications. Do you ought to know more about it? In this text, we’ll inform you what it’s, its possible causes, and what treatments can be found to deal with it.
What’s mandibular retrognathia?
Mandibular retrognathia is a bone malformation. What happens is that there’s a discrepancy between the scale of the maxillary bone and the mandibular bone. Due to this fact, they’re misaligned with one another.
The importance of that is that the rows of teeth also don’t fit together. The jaw is ‘set back’ with respect to the maxilla. In keeping with an article from Everest Dental Clinicthat is one in all the forms of dental malocclusion that tends to cause problems within the bite and facial aesthetics.
It could possibly appear since the maxilla is developed greater than normal or, quite the opposite, since the jaw is underdeveloped. It could possibly even be a mix of each aspects. When taking a look at an individual with retrognathia in profile, the lower face has a concave shape.
It’s also often called class II or short jaw relationship.
Like this text? Chances are you’ll also prefer to read: Five Home Remedies to Soothe Jaw Pain
Symptoms related to this condition
Mandibular retrognathia has a major aesthetic impact. As a publication of the Maxillofacial Institute explains, there’s an abnormal relationship between the maxillary and mandibular bone. This causes facial expression to be disharmonious.
The upper dentition protrudes above the lower teeth and the mandible. Thus, when taking a look at that person in profile, the chin is sunken and there isn’t a jaw projection. This will result in problems with self-esteem and confidence.
Amongst other things, affected individuals often have difficulty chewing and dental problems. Similarly, there’s often involvement of the temporomandibular joint, as shall be explained later.
What causes mandibular retrognathia?
This condition often begins during development or growth. Nonetheless, it can occur at any time in life, although that is somewhat less common. To grasp why it occurs, it’s essential to know how the jaw normally develops.
As explained in a publication at StatPearls explains, the jaw bone begins to ossify through the sixth week of gestation . The condyle of the jaw is the part that articulates with the skull, through the temporomandibular joint. It develops later, around ten weeks of gestation.
Progressively, the mandible grows forward and downwardwhile the condyle also forms. Full development will likely be reached around 17 or 18 years of age in females. In males, it could actually reach 20 years of age.
In individuals who have mandibular retrognathia, what happens is that this growth often stops much earlier. Because of this, the mandible is displaced backward and fails to align with the maxilla. It could possibly also occur that the maxillary bone develops faster than normal.
When it appears in adult life, it’s as a result of different reasons. A severe injury to the jaw or temporomandibular joint can restrict growth. It could possibly also occur when surgeries are performed on the cranial level.
Possible complications
This condition could cause serious complications, beyond aesthetic problems. For instance, some babies begin to experience problems from birth.
It is because the misalignment between the 2 bones could make them unable to suck adequately on the mother’s nipple. Because of this, feeding becomes difficult and malnutrition problems arise.
However, the undeniable fact that the 2 bones don’t fit together properly signifies that the dental rows don’t fit together either. Alignment of the teeth allows chewing and grinding of food.
Due to this fact, when this happens, it could actually be difficult to bite and chew.
As well as, as you become old, your teeth are inclined to grow to be more crooked or shifted. Individuals with mandibular retrognathia often have temporomandibular joint disorders. The gathered tension within the jaw and joint causes muscle spasms and severe jaw and head pain.
One other common complication is obstructive sleep apnea – that’s, respiration problems appear during sleep, which can even result in episodes of cessation of respiration at night. These episodes cause the person to sleep poorly and be drowsy through the day.
We expect chances are you’ll be taken with reading this, too: Jaw Pain Resulting from Stress: Tips on how to Deal With It
Treatments available for mandibular retrognathia
Mandibular retrognathia often requires treatment. With the intention to institute treatment, it’s first essential to reach at a correct diagnosis. In many individuals, a physical examination will likely be sufficient. Nonetheless, additional tests are sometimes performed to verify the diagnosis.
Radiography is important. Essentially the most commonly used is the lateral cephalometric radiograph. With this method, it’s possible to make an evaluation of the skull and its complete dimensions, to examine if the jaw is less developed than normal. The angle, length, and relationship with the remaining of the facial skeleton are also studied.
Once the study is finished, treatment could be planned if essential. If the case is mild and never very symptomatic, it isn’t all the time essential to treat it. Nonetheless, in the next sections, we’ll explain which options are mostly used.
Treatment in infants and kids
Treatment of retrognathia in infants and kids is often based on the usage of orthodontics. The concept is that they’re still growing. Due to this fact, an attempt could be made to decelerate the expansion of the jaw. This is finished through the use of a form of headgear that puts pressure on it.
The explanation is that there isn’t a solution to stimulate jaw growth as such. Orthodontics can have excellent leads to mild to moderate cases. Nonetheless, severe cases often require further treatment in adolescence or maturity.
Treatment in adolescents and adults
When growth has already slowed down, it’s very difficult to change mandibular retrognathia with orthodontics alone. This system could be useful when the issue is only dental. That’s, it only seeks to correct the alignment or occlusion of the teeth, but not the form of the jaw.
There are patients who want to correct their features – for instance, having a deep chin or a receding chin. In these cases, if the dental problem has already been corrected, a mentoplasty could also be really helpful.
Severe cases related to problems similar to sleep apnea often require surgery. This consists of intervening on the maxillary bone, or on the mandibular and maxillary bone. The concept is to attempt to reconstruct them to realize a precise alignment.
Remember: Mandibular retrognathia is just not only an aesthetic issue
Mandibular retrognathia is an issue that causes the mandible to be in an abnormal position, it’s positioned further back than normal. Due to this fact, the profile of those people shows a sunken chin and a concave shape.
The issue is that this condition can produce complications beyond aesthetics. For instance, it’s related to temporomandibular joint disorders and obstructive sleep apnea. It’s due to this fact essential to attempt to diagnose and treat this condition as soon as possible.
It’d interest you…
