I had an operation to correct my overbite and it gave me a whole new face – now ePassport gates don’t recognise me

Ellie Connolly, from Dartford, Kent, had an opt to correct a 14mm overbite
Read More: I replaced my passport because surgery made me unrecognisable

A woman has revealed how surgery to correct and overbite has given her a new face.

Ellie Connolly, from Dartford, Kent, was returning from a spontaneous holiday to Cyprus this month when she said she was stopped by the automated barriers because her face didn’t match her passport picture.

The 24-year-old had jaw surgery last year to correct a 14mm overbite, and says her face shape has changed so much that even her mother doesn’t recognise old photos of her.

Ellie says she has not been let through eGates seven times since her surgery, which a passport control officer told her was because the machine was unable to recognise her face compared to her picture.

She had the operation after feeling insecure about her overbite for years and worrying about dating for fear that she would ‘catfish’ men when they saw her side profile in real life.

Ellie Connolly, from Dartford, Kent, had an operation to correct an overbite that she feared ‘catfished’ people on dates and it has given her a new face

Ellie is now considering buying a new passport because she says it’s an inconvenience having to queue for a Border Force officer whilst her friends have already gone through the automates gates.

Ellie said: ‘The last few holidays I’ve been on, going through the e-passport it hasn’t worked nearly every time.

‘I’ve not had any issues thankfully going into any other countries, only coming back.

‘But I came back from Cyprus recently and the [passport control officer] said the machine didn’t recognise my face because I look different to my picture.

‘I was 15 at the time and I look pretty moody in my picture but you don’t realise how much the actual structuring of your face does change.

‘I have not been let through about seven times.

‘Normally it’s not too bad because there is someone there and they take you to the front and check your passport and say it’s fine.

‘But this time it took me nearly an hour and a half to get through the queue at four in the morning. I think I need a new passport now.

She had the operation after feeling insecure about her overbite for years and worrying about dating for fear that she would ‘catfish’ men when they saw her side profile in real life (pictured before her operation)

After receiving orthodontic treatment from age 10, Ellie was offered jaw surgery on the NHS to fix her overbite when she turned 18

The 24-year-old had jaw surgery last year to correct a 14mm overbite that she says changed her face shape so much that even her mum doesn’t recognise old photos of her

Ellie was returning from a spontaneous holiday to Cyprus this month when she said she was stopped by the automated barriers because her face didn’t match her passport picture

‘It is an inconvenience that’s for sure. Especially when everyone else gets through and they’ve got to wait for you.

‘It shows it [the surgery] was successful.’

After receiving orthodontic treatment from age 10, Ellie was offered jaw surgery on the NHS to fix her overbite when she turned 18.

Ellie says she had always felt insecure about her jaw and side profile, often comparing herself to friends and models.

Ellie said: ‘For me, there was that sense of being self-conscious. I hated my smile. I hated my side profile.

‘I always wore a lot of makeup. I probably overcompensated for my appearance because I was self-conscious of it.

‘I had braces and I thought I was going to have nice teeth at the end. My friends had braces and they would start getting their braces off… I’d think, ‘I don’t look like that’.

‘You see all these beautiful models and side profiles. It was something I always noticed in other people. It’s something you become aware of.’

Ellie underwent double jaw surgery in March 2022 and says she faced a challenging recovery, dropping a stone in only three weeks.

Ellie said: ‘It’s awful seeing yourself. I bruised quite badly and my whole neck and chest went yellow and green. You have this real fear of something going wrong.

‘I was super, super swollen. Your whole face balloons and you can’t speak because they’ve bandaged all your mouth shut.

‘You can’t eat solids for a good few months. You have to drink shakes through a syringe because you can’t move your mouth.

‘I lost a stone in around three weeks. The food you come up with to just survive is crazy.

‘I was mushing up mac and cheese and all sorts just to have something new. I had scrambled eggs mixed with spaghetti hoops so it was easy to swallow.

Ellie underwent double jaw surgery in March 2022 and says she faced a challenging recovery, dropping a stone in only three weeks

Ellie was left with bruising on her neck and jawline during the recovery process after the surgery

Ellie’s face and jawline were swollen for a few weeks after her surgery but it was worth the recovery

Ellie says she now looks completely different to how she did even at six months post-op – and claims the surgery has given her a confidence boost

Ellie said she went to a wedding this year and she saw people that she hadn’t seen in years and everyone said she looked so different

Ellie took to social media to reveal she has finally accepted her new face after everything ‘settled’

‘Mentally it’s a lot more challenging because you think, ‘oh my god I hate my face and I’m going to look like this forever’.’

Ellie says she now looks completely different to how she did even at six months post-op – and claims the surgery has given her a confidence boost.

Ellie said: ‘I went to a wedding this year and I saw people I haven’t seen in years. Everyone said I looked so different.

What is overbite surgery?

Overbite surgery, also known as Orthognathic surgery, aims to bring your lower jaw forwards, in line with your upper jaw.

This allows the teeth and jaws to meet together correctly so that your bite is corrected and the profile of your face is altered.

A surgeon will move the jaw bones and secure them in their new position using plates and screws underneath the gum.

Because the surgery is carried out on the inside of the mouth, patients will not be left with visible external scarring.

Small elastic bands hold the jaws together, for several months after the surgery, to help the teeth close into the new bite position.

The swelling and elastics bands stop you from opening your mouth fully, therefore patients need to eat soft, mushy food for the first few weeks after the procedure.

Most people find that swelling and bruising is worse 3 to 4 days after surgery, but it should improve after two weeks.

Risks associated with jaw surgery include:

Lip numbness: This is a normal side effect, but you may find that the lower lip takes longer to recover.

Infection of the plates beneath the gum: In a small number of cases plates may become infected. If this is the case they are removed.

Relapse after surgery: This is unusual. However, the position of the jaws or the teeth may return to their original position

Source: NHS

‘My mum says she looks at pictures of me before and says she remembers me like that but looks at me now and doesn’t recognise my old face.

‘Now I’ll go on dates. I look the same [as my pictures], whereas before I was conscious they would think I’m a catfish because of my side profile.

‘I got back into dating again this year when I met my current boyfriend.

‘It was the first time I had been single with my new face. It was nice to have that confidence.’

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