Would You Rather Your Child Have A Very Large Lower Jaw Or Normal Sized Jaw?
I love human variation. We’re all different, but equally valuable. I can’t say enough about that.
But jaw size variations can make things difficult. It’s not just about appearance. It’s about how things function. Because your mouth is a working mechanism between upper and lower jaws, it’s best that these two opposing jaws be close enough in size to work well together.
If you haven’t already read it, please read the post about smaller size lower jaws. It will save me repeating a lot of similar points (which saves you time reading)
So now that you’re back, let’s just show you the problem with an oversized lower jaw. Because the lower jaw moves not just up and down during speaking and eating, but also side to side, this arrangement of teeth causes the person to push their jaw forward a lot.
This can put a long-term strain on both the muscles and TMJs (TemporoMandibular Joints). Chronic headaches, joints clicking, muscle aches, etc. are all potential problems.
The other big problem is tooth wear. The teeth are shaped in such away that with a normal arrangement and compatible jaw sizes, the teeth will last your entire life. Mind you, because teeth are grinding against each other every day, there will definitely be some wear and tear in places there shouldn’t be. The teeth may not last as long as they would if their arrangement was a more standard setup.
One of the famous people who is known to have this type of jaw size discrepancy is Jay Leno. Can you imagine how different he might have looked has hid mother known when he was a young boy that there might have been something to prevent that very large jaw.
If large jaw size runs in your family, PLEASE find a dentist/orthodontist team who understands growth modification during the early years. You may prevent a whole basket of problems by being vigilant.
If you’re like guidance along the way, be sure to check out our Real Mom’s Dental Community where you can get your questions answered.