A 28-year-old woman presented for a check-up. The dentist noticed that the occlusal plane was depressed on the left side. The molar teeth did not make contact with the maxillary teeth on that side, though wear facets were present.

ANSWER

So, your jaw is made up of two parts called the maxilla (which is the upper part) and the mandible (which is the lower part). The mandible has a part called the ascending ramus on each side, which is a bony projection that helps to support the jaw joint.

Sometimes, one side of the ascending ramus can grow more than the other side. This is called condylar hyperplasia. It can cause the jaw to become uneven, with one side being bigger than the other.

When this happens, the teeth on the bigger side can grow more than the teeth on the smaller side. This can cause the teeth on the bigger side to stick out more and make the bite uneven.

Does that make sense to you? Let me know if you have any more questions!