Q: I had my wisdom teeth removed six months ago at the age of 21. My appearance seems to have changed. My jaw seems narrower and seems to sit a little higher on my face. Is this possible.
I inform my patients of this fact as I consider it to be part of informed consent. Informed consent is required to be given by a healthcare practitioner to the patient before any procedure is agreed upon so that the patient knows exactly what to expect.
Of course, before wisdom teeth surgery, we mention the obvious risks like infection, nerve damage, and broken jaw, but I feel it’s important to inform a patient that there is a change in appearance as well. The good news is that it’s usually something patients find to be an improvement.
You can request a bone graft during the extraction, but if you’re displeased with the look after your surgery is already complete, plastic surgery is the only option for correcting the change.
Many people will find that their jaw structure and facial features are more defined after wisdom teeth surgery.
In fact, many professional models have their wisdom teeth removed to give them the look of having higher cheekbones.
The danger here, of course, is that people have teeth taken out for aesthetics reasons, and not health reasons. Of course, I do not recommend this.
Has this happened to you? Please email me at [email protected] if you’re willing to share a before and after photo to add to this article.
Mark Burhenne DDS
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