When I saw ENT Dr Larry Kalish at the beginning of 2020 he said I had a deviated septum and enlarged turbinates, recommending a septoplasty and turbinate reduction. I declined because I was considering Vivos and had heard many users report improved nasal breathing which I thought may make surgery unnecessary.
(more…)
This is a list of resources I reviewed when I was researching surgical options for curing my obstructive sleep apnea. I focused on those that addressed my particular problem of a retrognathic maxilla and underdeveloped jaws, causing a lack of sufficient tongue space and creating an airway obstruction behind my lower jaw during sleep.
If you prefer an alternative that avoids surgery, see Maxillary Expansion For Obstructive Sleep Apnea Resource Bookmarks instead.
(more…)
This is a list of resources I reviewed when deciding whether Maxillomandibular Advancement (MMA) surgery was the best option for curing my obstructive sleep apnea. MMA surgery has very high cure rates for obstructive sleep apnea when combined with maxillary expansion such as SMARPE or DOME, but it’s very invasive and the risk of permanent nerve damage increases with age.
I’ve spent the last few weeks actively researching surgical, orthodontic and dental treatments for obstructive sleep apnea and visiting a lot of specialists to fully explore my options. I have underdeveloped jaws and nasal obstruction causing severe sleep apnea, possibly the result of extraction/retraction orthodontic work done when I was 13.
I visited orthodontist Derek Mahony recently who referred me to an ENT surgeon to investigate Maxillomandibular Advancement (MMA) surgery and Distraction Osteogenesis Maxillary Expansion (DOME). The success rate is high but it looks nasty. Derek said I would need 12 months of braces before the surgery, and I would need to be on CPAP in the meantime; so no matter what I do I realised I need CPAP to stay alive while I’m getting a permanent treatment sorted out. I’ve been on it for about a month and I’m hoping my general health will improve while I explore my options to expand my jaws and sleep naturally again.