Personally for me it wasn't worth it, but every persons risk vs. reward is different. If you are in a super bad amount of pain, can't function, or your so aesthetically devastated that it's ruining your life, then I would say consider surgery in this last resort phase you're in. If you are functioning now and overall OK with how things are, then why risk making them worse? I started out with an 8-9mm overjet, overbite, pretty bad gummy smile, narrow arches. Classic class II. Braces only would never get me full class I. In terms of my function, I felt OK enough to just do braces and call it a day. I had no joint issues, but my face muscles were always tired, strained, and I had pretty consistent headaches. My back teeth were being worn so badly they were nearing full restoration. Otherwise, I was functioning and I think ortho only could have taken care of a lot of these functional issues for me, even if I was never full perfect class I. My doctors pretty much scared me in to it. Told me surgery was no big thing and it would all be OK. Everybody is doing it now vs. when I was younger and needed it, and if I didn't get it my joints would deteriorate and need replacement, teeth would constantly need to be restored, and all this other doom and gloom. I listed and went surgery and surgery did nothing but make me a lot worse. So, based on my experience, weigh the risk vs. the reward. If you are at rock bottom with not much to lose, then go for it. I had a lot to lose, and unfortunately I lost it and would have been better off without the surgery.