An Inherited Underbite
Mom and me at her favorite sushi restaurant in Seattle.
Mom and me in front of our family's house, freezing in the Seattle snow.
Last week I was up in Seattle visiting my mom. She, like me, has an underdeveloped upper jaw, giving the impression of a flattened area above the lip and a slight underbite.
My parents are still married, but my dad has been spending much of his time the past few years working on his company in Beijing, so he’s not around the family house very much. He, unlike me, does not have any bite problems and has almost perfect teeth except for the fact that he takes very bad care of them and has to visit the dentist a lot.
I guess people don’t appreciate what they’ve got.
These very recent photos of my mom and me show the difference in our facial dimensions. Remember, I got mine from her, then had it sawed and repositioned by a very wonderful and expert surgeon. So, we look different, but the same.
After my surgery was successful, my mom even asked me if she might consider getting jaw surgery to correct her crossbite / underbite. But, alas, the lady is 54 years old and did not have the chronic jaw inflammation and joint pain that I had. It would have been medically unnecessary, cosmetically unnecessary, and a big ole flop of an insurance claim overall. After I ran a half-marathon for the first time, she also wondered if she should take up roadrunning, but never jogged a single step after that. We just get ideas from those around us.
Am I still my mother’s daughter? In heart and mind, of course I will always be, but what about in jaw?
Isn’t it funny how that works? My husband takes care of his teeth, but is hardly consistant, and they’re beautiful. I’m religious & it’s a constant battle…..go figure
It is interesting how these things do often follow the gene pool on one side or the other. Neither of my parents have an underbite, but my maternal grandfather & 2 of his sisters did, and my brother has it as well. It just skipped a generation in there. It was fun at an extended family reunion to note this in a few 2nd & 3rd cousins as well (of the same family line).
Which raises the question: Is it possible to “breed it back out”? or will it remain a legacy? Is it getting more prominent or less so? I’ve noticed the ‘3% of population as class III’ in the medical reports, but would be interested to see this number broken down as a percentage every 5 years over 100 years… should apply for that research grant asap, haha!
You’re looking amazing, Susan, and had such an amazing recovery period. And you’re still your mother’s daughter
You still look like your mum, even though your top lip is more pouty.
Apparently the underbite thing in Asians are more common than the over bite.