Bullied and branded 'tig beeth': Woman, 23, can smile with pride for the first time after 4 metal plates and 50 screws have finally corrected her overbite
- Rebecca Kiernan was taunted by other children at school for her protruding jaw
- It was so severe that she would dislocate her jaw every time that she yawned
- Surgeons managed to fix her 11mm overbite during a complex 7-hour procedure
- Despite having to live on liquids for 12 weeks - she said that it was all worth it
A woman bullied for her overbite can finally yawn without dislocating her jaw after undergoing pioneering surgery.
Rebecca Kiernan, 23, was taunted by children at school who named her 'tig beeth' and mocked her speech problems.
Her protruding jaw was so severe that she could barely chew - but surgeons managed to correct the problem during a seven-hour operation.
They implanted four metal plates and 50 screws into her face as they realigned the 11mm gap.
Despite living on liquids for 12 weeks - she said it was all worth it and has even had to apply for a new passport because she looks so different.
Rebecca Kiernan, 23, was taunted by children at school who named her 'tig beeth' and mocked her speech problems. But complex surgery last year allowed her to smile for the first time without being scared (pictured after her operation)
Miss Kiernan, from Featherstone, West Yorkshire, said: 'I just wanted to look normal. I always felt a bit different.
'I always worried about my teeth sticking out. I used to get really bad anxiety when I met knew people and I would try to cover it up.
'When I was trying to chew I was doing it wrong and I suffered from chronic jaw pain.'
She added: 'Every time that I yawned too widely my jaw would pop out of place, it was really painful and I'd have to put my hand into my mouth to pop it back into place.
'I've got so much more confidence now, I was too scared to talk to new people, but now I'm not scared to smile.
'I used to hate people taking pictures. I feel like now this is what I was supposed to look like.'
Her protruding jaw was so severe that she could barely chew and would dislocate her own jaw each time that she yawned (pictured before her operation)
Surgeons managed to correct the problem during a seven-hour operation. They implanted four metal plates and 50 screws into her face as they realigned the 11mm gap (pictured straight after her operation at the Sheffield Hallam University Hospital)
She claims she was about 13 when she started to get bullied in school, with people shouting names at her whenever she walked past.
Even her close friends made her feel self-conscious, saying she would be 'better' if she had straighter teeth.
Her misaligned jaw caused her to become very nervous when talking to new people and even left her fearing she would spend the rest of her life single.
Often when talking to people for the first time she would attempt to keep her mouth closed, but it proved difficult.
But she underwent surgery at Sheffield Hallam University Hospital in November 2015 to correct the problem - caused by the bone not growing when she was a child.
They sliced into her jaw and moved the bottom half forward during the complex procedure.
Miss Kiernan added: 'It's a major operation and I've still got chronic jaw pains but it has made everything else easier.
'When you're messing with your face, it's a huge thing. It's hard to have to go through it.
The operation meant she had to be fed with liquids through a syringe for the first two weeks and move onto a liquid diet for six weeks, causing her to lose over a stone.
Her jaw was left swollen for weeks, as she wasn't able to begin eating normally until 12 weeks after the operation.
Five months after her operation she had her braces taken off and the swelling went down, giving her a huge boost in confidence.
She said: 'I got questioned at the airport when I was coming back from my holiday and they were really looking at my passport.
'It made me think I I'm going to have to apply for a new passport.'
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