Braces Recessed My Maxilla and Flattened My Face (no extractions)
Got braces years ago and they genuinely recessed/flattened my face even though I had ZERO extractions.
Before braces my profile had noticeably better forward projection, better upper lip support and overall better facial harmony. After treatment my face looks flatter, my upper jaw area looks pushed back, my nose looks bigger relative to the rest of my face and my mouth/arch feels narrower.
And before people instantly say “it’s body dysmorphia” or “nothing changed,” I literally have before/after photos where the difference is visible. Orthodontists and people online constantly gaslight patients into believing retraction effects on the face are impossible unless teeth were extracted, but I never even had extractions done.
I think the braces/retraction mechanics pulled my teeth and soft tissue backward and reduced facial support. My side profile now genuinely looks more recessed compared to before treatment.
Has anyone here actually managed to reverse or improve this?
- Expansion?
- Reversal orthodontics?
- Any improvement in forward support/profile?
- Anything that helped after braces flattened your face?
I’m asking because this genuinely affected both my appearance and confidence and I want real answers from people who experienced similar changes instead of being told “nothing happened.”