Home/Asymmetry types
Facial asymmetry appears where the jaw joint, the chewing muscles, the neck and posture, and expression habits overlap. RECOVER records left-right reference points at the eyes, cheeks, mouth and jawline under one standard, then separates where the difference comes from.
Left-right difference can come from expression habits, posture, dental occlusion and sleeping position overlapping, and everyone has it to some degree. Rather than settling on a cause, RECOVER records how the two sides differ right now under one standard, and makes that the starting point of the consultation.
When the path the jaw travels while opening and closing differs on each side, the chin position and the jawline impression can both look different. Clicking, pain, catching and limited opening are checked separately.
The jawline is shaped not only by bone but by the masseter, the muscle used to chew. The larger-looking side is not necessarily the side chewed with, so the muscle is palpated directly alongside the outward shape and the jaw's movement is checked with it.
When the head settles into a tilted or turned position, the two sides can sit at different heights in a front-facing photograph. That is why head angle and lighting are set before any capture.
Some differences are small at rest and appear only in a smile. That is why two frames are kept, resting and smiling, rather than one.
Facial asymmetry separates into a chin sitting to one side, a jaw that clicks, one chewing muscle thicker than the other, eye or cheek heights that look unequal, and differences that appear only in a smile. RECOVER separates what to look at first from what to revisit next.
The chin sits closer to one side once the midline is aligned from the front. The difference carrying through to the jawline and mouth corners is read with it.
Jaw joint and posture
One side clicks while opening or chewing. Treatment is never decided on the sound alone; pain, catching and limited opening are checked alongside it.
jaw joint
One side opens less, or the jaw catches partway. When limited opening comes with pain, it is worth confirming the cause in consultation.
jaw joint
One masseter is more developed, so the jawline reads differently. The muscle is palpated directly alongside the outward shape, and everyday chewing habits are checked with it.
Chewing muscle and habit
Commonly described as a square-jaw impression. Bone shape and muscle thickness make that impression together, so the two are checked separately.
Bone shape and muscle
Commonly described as uneven eyes. The front view is set under one standard, then the outer-corner and brow heights are compared side to side.
Eyes and forehead
The front view is set under one standard, then cheek height and width are compared side to side. The direction the cheeks rise in a smile is checked with it.
Cheeks and expression
The neck and posture have settled into one direction, so the two sides sit at different heights in a front-facing photograph. Head angle and lighting are set before the capture.
Neck vertebrae and posture
Small at rest, but a pull to one side shows in a smile. The resting and smiling frames are kept side by side.
Expression muscles and habit
The grouping above exists to decide what to look at first in consultation. The cards are not diagnoses; individual causes and care plans are determined by clinician examination.
When lighting, angle, distance or expression change, the two sides read differently. Only a record kept under one standard can be compared the same way at the next visit. Perfect symmetry and natural balance are not the same thing, so RECOVER does not set out to make the two sides identical.
RECOVER first checks the left-right reference points at the eyes, cheeks, mouth and jawline together with the expression and tension difference, then reads the jaw joint, cervical spine and muscles together before setting a care plan.
A functional assessment and any needed manual care, acupuncture and exercise guidance are part of the basic visit.
A temporomandibular balancing appliance (TBA), thread treatment and HIFU are added after the read, when they are needed.
The reference record is the starting point for comparing before and after under one standard. The record can be kept first without deciding on any procedure.
Fees for facial balance care and the temporomandibular balancing appliance are published item by item on the non-covered fee schedule.
The sources below explain the basis for examining jaw-joint condition and facial left-right difference.
A public-agency summary of temporomandibular disorder symptoms and what a clinician checks.
A review gathering and appraising studies on the relationship between jaw-joint condition and facial left-right difference.
The sources above support the reading criteria on this page. Individual causes and care plans are determined separately, in consultation and clinician examination.
Left-right difference can come from expression habits, posture, dental occlusion and sleeping position overlapping, and everyone has it to some degree. Rather than settling on a cause, RECOVER records how the two sides differ right now under one standard, and makes that the starting point of the consultation.
Treatment is not decided on the sound alone. We first check whether pain comes with opening or chewing, and whether the jaw catches or opens poorly. If it opens comfortably without pain, the sound by itself does not call for treatment; if there is pain, catching or limited opening, it is worth confirming the cause in consultation.
The jawline is shaped not only by bone but by the masseter, the muscle used to chew. The larger-looking side is not necessarily the side chewed with. In examination the muscle is palpated directly alongside the outward shape, and jaw movement and everyday chewing habits are checked with it.
Not necessarily. A photo taken by someone else reverses the face you see in the mirror every day, so even a small existing difference can feel unfamiliar. Looking unfamiliar and being markedly asymmetric are different things, so rather than impressions we compare the position of the eyes, mouth and jaw under one standard.
RECOVER first checks the left-right reference points at the eyes, cheeks, mouth and jawline together with the expression and tension difference, then reads the jaw joint, cervical spine and muscles together before setting a care plan. The basic visit includes a functional assessment and any needed manual care, acupuncture and exercise guidance; a temporomandibular balancing appliance (TBA), thread treatment and HIFU are added after the read, when they are needed. The reference record is the starting point for comparing before and after under one standard.
Once you have separated where the difference comes from, the next step is keeping your own reference points under one standard.