York student has double jaw surgery to give him a new smile

George Rymer had been self-conscious about his under bite since he was just 13
By December, he had developed a 1.5cm gap between his top and bottom row
Double jaw surgery, which took 7 hours, changed his appearance completely

Stephen Matthews For Mailonline

Published:
06:56 EST, 9 January 2017

|
Updated:
07:40 EST, 9 January 2017

e-mail

View
comments

A 20-year-old student who hid his smile during his childhood has underwent a remarkable surgical transformation.

George Rymer, from Skelton, York, had been self-conscious about his under bite ever since he was 13.

By December last year, it had become so severe that his bottom teeth were almost one-and-a-half centimetre further forward than his top row.

But following double jaw surgery on the NHS, which took seven hours, his appearance has been completely changed.

Now he has been advised by his surgeons to get a new passport before getting off overseas as a result of the procedure.

George Rymer had been self-conscious about his under bite ever since he was 13. But double jaw surgery allowed him to smile without fear for the first time in seven years

Mr Rymer, who studies geography at Newcastle University, said: ‘I was about 13 when I first realised there was a problem.

‘I didn’t know I had an under bite when I was a kid, but as I got older, I didn’t like the way I looked.

‘I started going to the orthodontists and I’ve had braces for years – I never liked how I looked.

Two die in NHS every day of thirst or starvation with…

Two-year-old boy who doctors believed was suffering from an…

Putting off having a baby? It’s in your genes: Class rather…

Lose up to a stone in two weeks! Dr Xand van Tulleken offers…

‘It wasn’t just that, I couldn’t even do stupid things like bite off a piece of Sellotape.’

Mr Rymer added: ‘My girlfriend, Katy, always said she never really noticed it when I explained to her that I had an under bite.

‘But it had knocked my confidence and I was scared about how bad it could get, so I decided to have the surgery.’

By December last year, his under bite had become so severe that his bottom teeth were almost one-and-a-half centimetre further forward than his top row

On the date of his operation on December 16 last year, Mr Rymer’s bottom teeth were 14mm in front of his top.

His father, John, 58, said it used to affect him so much that he would often cover his face up.

WHAT IS AN UNDER BITE?

An under bite is a type of deformity known medically as a reverse overjet.

It is caused by an overgrowth of the lower jaw or the upper jaw not developing properly, or a combination of the two.

It can be caused by poor chewing habits, abnormalities in the jaw bone and thumb-sucking.

An under bite can occasionally be corrected with orthodontic braces alone but if the deformity is severe then surgery is needed to reposition and realign the jaws.

This is performed by surgeons qualified in both medicine and dentistry, and only on patients aged over 18 whose bones have stopped growing.

The double jaw surgery, known as a bimaxillary osteotomy, involved surgeons moving the top jaw forward and down.

Because the jaw is the last bone to stop growing, he had to wait until he had stopped growing before undergoing the surgery.

Meanwhile his bottom jaw was split and pieces taken away to finally realign the jaws with each other.

With their son undergoing such a major procedure, his parents, Linda and John, weren’t without their reservations.

Mrs Rymer, said: ‘If it was up to us, I would have said “don’t get it done son”.

‘Every time we were going with him to the surgeons and they were asking if he understood what it involved. But it was affecting his confidence and his eating.’

But the operation proved to be a success and he was allowed to leave hospital just three days after, being given paracetamol to curb his pain.

Thanking his surgeon, Mr Rymer added: ‘It felt weird at first, as if my top teeth were too far forward. It’s a huge difference. The surgeons said I’ll have to get a new passport.

‘I put a picture on Facebook, which I wouldn’t normally do, and all my friends commented saying it’s a massive difference.’