Not All Lantern Jaws Are the Same! Why Double Jaw Surgery is Needed

 

Not All Lantern Jaws Are the Same! Why Double Jaw Surgery is Needed

 There’s a symptom called “Lantern Jaw”. It’s a symptom that the lower jaw is protruded more than the upper jaw. Most of cases the Jaw bone is developed, and people think that it’s caused by genetic factors. However, there are cases in that parents don’t have a lantern jaw, but the patient has a symptom and vice versa, so a lot of research conduct studies about this. Today, we will go over this mysterious lantern jaw with Dr. Kim.

Before 1960, people believed that facial bone deformities were from genetics. As more research was carried out, they thought that facial bone deformities are not purely due to genetics. But we can agree that factors such as genetics and other factors can play a role in facial bone deformity. In conclusion, there are genetic factors and other factors. Factors that can cause facial bone deformity are the size and position of the teeth and the shape of the skull. Lifestyle habits like thumb sucking can cause facial bone deformity, also how jaw muscles move and the habitual movement of the jaw muscle can also lead to deformities of the bone.

Then why do some cases of lantern jaw require surgery? To some people, it may seem purely for aesthetic purposes. It can cause difficulties in chewing, breathing, and pronunciation. We can say that the ultimate goal of double jaw surgery is to improve those factors. For a normal occlusion, the upper teeth cover the lower teeth, but in the case of malocclusion, if the upper teeth are narrow the lower molars will cover the upper molars. This can cause difficulties such as biting the cheeks due to not being able to chew properly. As for the incisors, the upper incisors have to cover the lower incisors. That way’s the normal way, the upper incisors can come down to cut food. Since the bottom teeth protrude more in the case of a lantern jaw, it’s hard to cut food with the teeth. The molars are used mainly for chewing, so they are strong, a lot of force goes to the jaw when chewing. So if the molars close and the incisors close evenly, this can cause problems such as affecting the lifespan of the incisors.

So in the case of a lantern jaw, is double jaw surgery required or lower jaw surgery required? We mostly perform double jaw cases, but mandibular surgery can be a solution for some cases. The difference occurs in the amount that the jaw moves. Lower jaw surgery means moving the lower jaw and not the upper jaw. In the difference in the position of the teeth is too great, the surgery result will look nice. Besides this case, double jaw surgery is the solution for most of cases.

Some people ask if can genioplasty be effective in the case of a lantern jaw since it’s another method that is also only placed on the lower jaw. It depends on the patient’s side profile. The tip of the chin isn’t flat and the bone itself is protruded, we can move the protruded part backward to improve the lantern jaw. But, we can’t push the lower jaw back to decrease the appearance of the lantern jaw if the chin bone is flat and it’s located in the front, the chin cannot be pushed back. So in that case, the lantern jaw cannot be improved through genioplasty.

Lantern jaw can be genetic and caused by other factors such as lifestyle habits. However, the most important part is knowing what is fine and the appropriate part to treat it. The before and after results of the lantern jaw surgery can be dramatic, so some people can think it’s purely for aesthetic purposes. But a lot of patients may get functional improvement. To treat those discomfort, it will be important to decide on surgery with a skilled surgeon who has aesthetic and functional knowledge of facial bone.