When a misaligned jaw affects more than your smile

The condition can cause pain, speech problems and difficulty eating, and may require surgery to correct

- Amrita Kaur

Underbites and overbites can affect one's oral health, and can sometimes lead to complications such as headaches. In 2024, there were 28 cases of corrective jaw surgery done at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, with the majority for underbite correction. PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK

(ADOBE STOCK)

When Ms Chloe Goh first put on braces in 2016, her dentist was fixing what she called her “Bugs Bunny tooth” — a single tooth that stuck out in front.

“All felt fine until the left side of my jaw started to significantly shift in 2017 to 2018. But he said it was part of the process, so we continued,” recalls Ms Goh, who is now 25.

Over time, however, the situation with her jaw did not improve.

It slanted more, and by 2022 - six years after she first put on braces - Ms Goh was in pain and struggling. She began experiencing painful jaw clicking on her left side.

She recalls: “Sometimes it happened when I was eating. I would lose my appetite and didn’t feel like eating any more.”

By that point, she was keen to have the braces removed. “The dentist said there was nothing more that he could do. So, we discontinued the braces treatment and he said I could consider surgery.”

While the braces corrected her protruding tooth, they also revealed an underlying problem: an underbite. This occurs when the lower teeth extend beyond the upper front teeth, sometimes causing the upper and lower jaws not to meet properly.

In Ms Goh’s case, the left side of her lower jaw had also shifted to the right, leaving her frequently biting her tongue and dealing with worsening clicking sounds.

“When I yawned, it would click, and then I had to adjust my jaw back. I had to push it back manually. There would be a sharp pain at the end of my left jaw towards my left ear,” she says.