Dealing with face shape changes/dysmorphia with bite blocks?

Similar experience?

Hi! 16F almost a month into my braces journey and all I can say is that it's been full of nothing but negatives

My ortho put a bite block on one of my back molars to stop my teeth from touching and since then, I feel like my entire face shape has changed. My jaw sits way lower, which makes my face look super elongated and my philtrum looks weirdly long and stretched out

Looking at photos from a month ago, the proportions of my face just look completely off now. My eyes look smaller because the lower half of my face is sitting so low. Because of this, when I look in the mirror or take photos, I feel like l look noticeably different from before, and it's been making me really frustrated and insecure

Articles and google searches online say the elongation isn’t actually permanent, but it’s hard not to worry when I feel like I can clearly see a difference every day. It’s been messing with my confidence a lot and I feel kind of dysmorphic about it. Has anyone else experienced this with bite blocks or braces in general?? If so did your face go back to normal once they were removed or once you got used to them?

I’d really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences or tips because I feel like I’m barely surviving the first month, help!!

Posted Mar 5, 2026, 11:50 AM UTC

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