I was told that I was a great candidate for MMA surgery (I have a "class 2" jawline and a very suitable overjet), and have been getting prepared for that procedure and its accompanying orthodontic work. I have done some research on the subject, and have been flabbergasted at what seems like results from this operation that are almost TOO good to be true.
To wit: I have not found anything to indicate any sort of lasting pain or serious complications that arise from this surgery. That's a bit unnerving. Is it really as safe/virtually pain-free as my study seems to suggest? I'm VERY worried that I will have a hard time adapting to my new mouth/jaw/tongue architecture, that my mouth will close differently and it will be odd/painful, and that after the surgery I'll just feel weird/hurt/not myself--maybe forever.
Could the sleepguide community please speak to my concerns about such? Are there resources to which I could refer? My oral surgeon and orthodontist have been very helpful and reassuring, but I highly value the input of this group.
I'm not as bothered by some that my face will be altered. I'm not Helen of Troy. I've been told by several that I may look better post-surgery. I don't care if my appearance changes and I'm not disturbed that bone will be sawed through. All of this, plus the braces, plus the jaw-being-wired-shut, plus the all-liquid post-surgery diet, is infinitely more "palatable" (pun intended) to me than any CPAP mask that will ever be created. I'm actually a bit surprised that more people don't feel that way.
I've had a tracheostomy suggested to me. That sounds worse, more antiquated; and even if it is reversible, won't there always be a huge scar on your neck? And an actual gaping hole for all to see? I read that Steven Hawking lost his voice from a similar procedure.
I understand that many are optimistic that a more tolerable treatment than CPAP is just a few years away. I am not. I don't think MMA is a quick fix, but I've been terribly attracted to it ever since it was proposed. What I've worried about is permanent pain, permanent scarring, permanent disfigurement. Those would not be good. Everything else I could make my peace with if it was part of the package deal of being able to sleep properly.
I've been told that a conservative figure for this operation's success, at least in my case, is 80%. That's much better than a UPPP. I've been told that at 62 apnea per hour, I am too severe for a dental appliance. I do plan to once again try and find that magic CPAP mask that will work for me in the months my teeth are being addressed. But MMA seems like the best long-term option. A lot of people recoil when I explain to them what the procedure entails. I wish they wouldn't do that.
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