Small chin is also known as retrogenia or receding chin. Instead of protruding out or lying flat, it slopes back towards the neck. This happens when the lower jaw is not in alignment with the upper jaw.

What causes small chin?

It can be inherited from the genes. If either of the parent have a small chin, a child might also have a small chin. Teeth and jaw alignment may also have an impact on whether the child grows up with a small or receding chin.
Studies have shown that, thumb sucking often starts before birth and it is related to postnatal handedness. Hence, this can also be one of the cause to develop small chin.
Habit of thumb sucking in kids causes recessive chin as the force of the hand falls on the chin. Milwaukee brace given in the treatment of spinal curvatures in children can also cause small chin.
Sometimes the upper jaw grows faster than the lower jaw and because the growth rate of the upper jaw and lower jaw isn’t well matched, the chin may appear small.
Another reason the lower jaw can appear small is when there is an extreme overbite. This gives an optical illusion caused by overly noticeable upper teeth.

Complications

• Difficulty in chewing
• Poor bite
• Chronic jaw pain
• Difficulty in breathing during sleep
• Sleep apnea, snoring
• Low self esteem

What can fix small chin?

The degree of correction needed as well as the cause will determine whether braces alone can fix recessive chin.
If the cause is dental, where the teeth are not in alignment but upper and lower jaw are in correct position, then with the help of braces by simply moving the teeth in proper alignment, we can even out it’s appearance.
It can be treated by treating the etiology in children.

Habit breaking appliance like functional appliance is used to treat small chin. Functional appliance used are:

• Activator: activator appliance was the first functional appliance that was developed to correct functional jaw.
• Bionator: Bionator is a functional appliance that allows orthodontic corrections while also expanding the arches dentally.
• Twin block appliance: Twin block are simple bite block with occlusal inclined planes. The bite blocks acts as a guiding mechanism causing the lower jaw to be displaced downward and forward. The unfavorable cuspal contacts of a distal occlusion are replaced by favorable proprioceptive contacts on the inclined planes of twin blocks to correct malocclusion and to free the mandible from its locked distal functional position.

In teenagers who have passed their pre-pubertal growth spurt phase fixed functional appliances are given such as:

• Forsus: the forsus appliance is made up of a spring that is attached to the upper molar bands. There is a spring on each side of the mouth. This spring works to move the jaw in ideal bite position.
• Powerscope: Powerscope is also a fixed one piece appliance which is also used for the correction of recessive chin.
• Other types of treatment procedures can be done to bring the teeth in alignment such as:
• Metal braces: they use metal brackets which are fixed on the outer surface of the teeth and the archwire is threaded through each bracket and tightened at various intervals throughout the treatment.
• Ceramic braces: They are made of ceramic brackets and ceramic wires. They work similar to the metal braces, but are less visible as they blend in with the teeth color.
• Clear aligners: They are the best alternative for the people who do not want to wear braces. Clear aligners are comfortable and easy to wear and remove. They are painless and invisible. Good oral hygiene can be maintained.

When the cause is in the jaw bone growth, the best option is jaw surgery also known as orthognathic surgery.

The chin surgery, which in medical terms known as genioplasty are of two main kinds and both are cosmetic procedures.
• Chin implants ( alloplastic genioplasty)
In this procedure a small cut is made on the inside of your mouth, where the lower lip meets the gum. The cut can also be made on the face just under the chin, then the tissue is stretched enough to place the synthetic implant. Chin implants come in different shape and size. This procedure needs less recovery time.
• Horizontal sliding genioplasty
The cut is given into the bony part of the chin and the segment is slide forward in order to make a more pronounced chin. This is the good option for people who have a chin that is both short and recessed.

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