i love this site!!! .man, it took me soooo long to understand what my issues were, but i finally can see my "problems". i can relate to what everyone is saying. one side of my jaw is longer than the other, too (the ramus, or part that gives vertical height to the jaw, is shorter on one side). i had an impacted tooth when i was younger, and a very crowded mouth, so, i got braces, and they ended up masking my asymmetry, but never addressing the underlying skeletal issue. the result? my teeth meet, but they are also tilted, and i have never been satisfied with my results, as my chin is probably more off center now, and i feel like i have TMJ.
my jaw looks a lot like yours, NIK, (but probably worse....my "cant" is very pronounced in my lower jaw). my cheekbones look the same, too: one side is definitely more prominent than the other. basically, i have concluded that one side of my face is a bit smaller (has less bone in the jaw, cheekbones, etc.). i mean, it is by no means "major" and we are all our own harshest critics, but prior to puberty, i was very proportionate. however, once i started growing, my jaws grew at a different rate, and never matched up. i feel like i'm still a good looking guy, but i can definitely feel that there is not balance in my face as there was when i was younger.
anyways, i went to several dentsists/orthodontists, and it has been tough because even though they can see the asymmetry, everyone has a different plan for me. yes, my teeth fit, but my bite is off. some just say to get braces, some say leave it alone, some say where a split, and some say to get surgery.
i realized that dentists really are in it for the money, so be careful who you see. someone mentioned that they went to 6 or 7 surgeons before they heard what they "wanted" to hear. and, that's the key: you will find someone who knows what you want, and you probably won't stop until you find them, if you really want it bad enough.
my thinking: if you're going to do something, do it right, or don't do it at all. no implants, no masking the issue, no splints: just correct the issue so it's taken care of.
anyhow, the surgeon i believe i am going to use said he would lengthen one side of my jaw, and possible shorten the other. keep in mind, i think i have a much greater asymmetry in my lower jaw than you do. one side is a lot shorter (which causes my teeth to tilt that way, and my chin to move to that side). everything feels so much tighter on that side of my face, and due to only chewing on that side, i can see the difference in facial muscles. basically, it is just not balanced, and it shows the longer you go w/o treating it. i am 27 now, and got my braces off when i was about 16.
i was not told i would be needing a bone graft, but basically one side would be lengthened, and one side would be shortened.
i was told by a neuromuscular dentist that i could start TENS therapy, wear a splint, and this would cause the short side of my jaw to create an "open bite" because all of the stress from years of chewing on my shortened side. however, i don't think i want to settle for a splint. i want to get it treated once and for all.
this being said, it is not "major" to many people. i get a lot of compliments on my teeth, actually. however, it does matter to me, and i realized that's all that needs to matter. i constantly stretch my jaw to relieve the stress of it, and i hate taking profile pictures, because sometimes it catches the imbalance of my facial features, and i just hate to look at it. i have maybe 2 pictures of myself from the side, and they are all at a certain angle.
i never liked seeing pictures of myself after braces. sometimes i feel like i'm way too hard on myself. however, there is asymmetry there. that's a fact. and, i don't obsess about anything else in my body.
i guess here is my main concern: it is going to be a long process, and i'm afraid that maybe i won't be content with the final process. that scares me, especially since i was in braces for 3 years, and felt like i was "uglier" when i came out of them. but, then again, it may be a bigger risk to go through life and feel self conscious about my profile.
ok, i'm rambling, but this helps me decide what to do. hopefully someone else can relate.
