This Girl's Jaw Surgery Results Left People Speechless – Her Before-and-After Photos Went Viral

She was a typical teenager with a bright smile and a clean bill of health until the day her teeth stopped touching. What seemed like a minor orthodontic issue soon unraveled into a rare and debilitating jaw condition that would quietly distort her face and complicate her life.

This young woman first noticed something wasn't right with her bite shortly after finishing orthodontic treatment. As the months passed, the changes in her jaw became more visible, but answers were hard to come by. She saw multiple specialists, but each one gave her a different explanation, none of which fully addressed the underlying issue.

When she decided to document her medical journey on social media, she didn't expect it to reach far beyond her immediate circle. But her before-and-after photos struck a nerve online. They showed more than a change in appearance. They hinted at years of pain, missed diagnoses, and a rare condition few had ever heard of.

Early Signs and a Growing Bite Problem

Jacquelyn Denney first noticed something was off in June 2011, the day her braces came off. When her top and bottom front teeth touched, she felt a strange tingling sensation she hadn't experienced before. Just five months later, in November, they no longer touched at all.

At first, she thought the issue might be minor. But her bite continued to open, and the change became more noticeable in photos. Looking back, she realized that symptoms had begun earlier, while she was still wearing braces between 2009 and 2013.

As part of her treatment, she used rubber bands to correct an overbite. Not long after, she began experiencing symptoms commonly associated with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder — clicking sounds when chewing, tightness in the jaw, and occasional locking.

With her upper and lower jaws no longer aligned, her smile began to look different. Over time, she even adjusted the way she smiled to hide the gap, often placing her tongue between her teeth in photos. She wasn't sure what was happening, only that it was getting worse. At the time, no one had answers.

Conflicting Diagnoses and a Condition No One Could Name

As Denney's bite continued to open and her chin began to recede, she sought medical help. At first, her orthodontist believed the issue might simply be that the braces hadn't worked as intended. He recommended starting treatment again. That explanation didn't sit right with Denney, so she began looking for second and third opinions.

One doctor suggested she had arthritis, despite the fact that she was only 15 at the time. Another mentioned tongue thrust syndrome — a condition where pressure from the tongue affects the position of the teeth. While that may have been a factor, Denney didn't believe it explained the full scope of what was happening to her jaw.

In a TikTok video posted on July 21, 2020, she reflected on those years of uncertainty. "Now ever since 2011, it's been gradually getting to this point," she said. The condition had progressed, but she still didn't have a name for it. What she did know was that the problem was not dental but structural. And without a proper diagnosis, no one could tell her what to expect next.

Living with a Shifting Jaw and Adapting to Daily Challenges

As her condition progressed, Denney had to find workarounds for everyday tasks most people take for granted. One of the biggest obstacles was eating. Because her front teeth no longer touched, she couldn't bite into food the way most people do.

Instead, she relied on her back molars to chew and used her tongue to help break food down. Biting into things like sandwiches or pizza wasn't possible. She often had to cut her food into small pieces or press it against the roof of her mouth to simulate the function of lower front teeth.

The adjustments became second nature, but they didn't make the experience any easier. As her bite continued to open, so did the urgency to find a lasting solution.

Preparing for Surgery and Facing Insurance Setbacks

By late 2020, Denney was preparing for the most significant procedure of her life. After years of uncertainty, the surgical plan was in place: a total joint replacement, upper jaw reconstruction, and chin realignment to correct the damage caused by idiopathic condylar resorption. The surgery had been scheduled, and insurance had initially pre-authorized the procedures.

In a TikTok video posted on December 19, 2020, Denney shared a clip with the overlaying text, "Seven days from now, I will have a titanium jaw, and my teeth will touch for the first time in almost ten years." For her followers, it marked a turning point. For Denney, it was a moment she had waited nearly a decade to reach. But behind the scenes, not everything was settled.

Despite receiving a pre-authorization letter listing all four surgical procedures — TMJ prosthetic replacement, LeFort I reconstruction, coronoidectomy, and a derma-fat-fascia graft — Denney later revealed that her insurance ultimately refused to cover the surgery.

No reason was included in the snippet she shared, but the situation added another layer of stress to an already complex medical process. Still, she moved forward. The countdown had begun, and for the first time in almost a decade, there was a clear path toward relief.

The Surgery That Changed Everything

Denney underwent her long-awaited surgery on December 26, 2020. The procedure included a total temporomandibular joint replacement, a LeFort I osteotomy to reposition her upper jaw, and a genioplasty to adjust her chin. These surgical steps were designed to restore proper alignment, improve function, and correct the severe open bite caused by years of bone deterioration.

Following the operation, Denney shared a post on Instagram reflecting on the experience. "My face might still be numb and swollen," she wrote, "but everything feels so right. Wish I could put into words how it feels to finally breathe (and to look in the mirror lol)." It was her first major update since surgery, and it marked a dramatic shift, not just in her appearance, but in her quality of life.

The function she had slowly lost was beginning to return, and the transformation was visible. Though the healing process was just beginning, the surgery had given her something she hadn't had in a long time: a sense of relief.

Understanding Jaw Surgery: What Denney's Procedure Involved

Denney's surgery was a major form of corrective jaw surgery, also known as orthognathic surgery. These procedures are used to bring the upper and lower jaws into proper alignment and are often necessary when a person's bite affects their ability to eat, speak, or breathe.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, jaw surgery is typically part of a multi-year process that combines orthodontic treatment and surgery. First, the teeth are aligned in preparation for surgery. Then, the upper and/or lower jaw is repositioned during the operation. Afterward, continued orthodontic treatment ensures the bite remains stable and functional.

There are several types of jaw surgery:

• Maxilla surgery (maxillary osteotomy) addresses problems with the upper jaw.
• Mandible surgery (mandibular osteotomy) is done when the lower jaw is misaligned.
• Double jaw surgery (bimaxillary osteotomy) treats conditions that affect both jaws at once.

These procedures are used to treat a wide range of conditions, including TMJ disorders, open bites, underbites, overbites, jaw cysts, cleft palate, and obstructive sleep apnea. In Denney's case, the operation included a total joint replacement and a LeFort I osteotomy, which involved sectioning and repositioning the upper jaw.

Her diagnosis — idiopathic condylar resorption — required rebuilding the TMJ with a prosthetic joint and realigning her bite and jaw structure for long-term function.

For most patients, jaw surgery is a complex, staged process that requires careful planning, multiple specialists, and extended recovery. In Denney's case, the results were dramatic.

Before-and-After Photos Go Viral

The reaction online was instant and overwhelming. Her TikTok videos drew thousands of views. Comments included, "It looks amazing wow," "looked AMAZINGGG 😍🤩," "Omg it looks so good and you look so happy 🥰❤️," "WOWWWWWWWW 🤩!!!!!!" and "YOU LOOK SO GOOD OMG YES."

Over on Instagram, the response was just as enthusiastic. One viewer commented, "I have no words," while another celebrated her new look, saying, "You look amazing omg." A follower gushed, "YOU LOOK SO PRETTY," while another added with a sense of joy, "Congrats—looking so good!!"

For many who came across her story, it was the first time they'd heard of idiopathic condylar resorption. And while the medical terminology may have been unfamiliar, the impact was clear.

Denney's journey had started with a quiet, hard-to-describe sensation and unfolded into a rare diagnosis that took years to identify. Along the way, she had to advocate for herself, navigate misdiagnoses, and push through physical limitations.

Sharing her experience online wasn't part of a plan — it was a way to document what she was living through. But it also ended up educating thousands of others and bringing visibility to a condition that often goes unnoticed.