https://ibb.co/cyTh0QAny advice would be much appreciated. I know I would need to speak to a maxillofacial surgeon about this but it would be good to know if a consultation is at least warranted. I’m wondering if I may be a candidate for ccw rotation and genioplasty. My knowledge of these procedures is shaky at best as I’ve only recently been looking into them from what I can find online. Some context…
I actually consulted with an ENT specialist a few months ago (hence the ceph) on the advice of my doctor. I had complained of headaches when I woke up in the morning and he said I may have sleep apnea due to a narrow airway (it’s only now I realise that he could probably have guessed this was the case just from looking at me!). The ENT guy said my airway is only slightly narrowed. He did mention however that I have a recessed lower jaw and that a genioplasty could improve this. He also explained that this may have a slight positive impact on airway size as it would pull the attachments of the tongue muscles (I think?) forward. At the time I was happy that my airway was not an immediate cause for concern and left it at that. However in the interim I’ve been doing some research and I’m thinking it may be worth looking into further…
Please correct me if I’m wrong but what I can gather from my ceph is that:
1) Mandibular plane is excessively steep
2) Lower jaw is recessed
3) Occlusal plane angle is excessive. I measured it at 15 degrees when the norm would be 8 degrees from what I’ve read?
4) Very slight underbite present
5) Front teeth seem tilted forward excessively especially on top. I did have braces in my early teens. Possibly they were pushed forward to compensate for the underbite?
Some other things which I’m thinking might be connected:
1) I cannot close my bite properly as my bottom front teeth extend slightly past their upper counterparts. There is still a visible gap when my teeth are closed.
2) I have a very prominent lower lip. I’m guessing this is due to a combination of the slight underbite pushing the lower lip forward and the fact that the chin is too recessed to give it adequate support from underneath.
3) I don’t really have a defined jaw line even though my body fat percentage is less than 12%.
4) If I completely relax my lips they do not meet, so I think there is some incompetence. Obviously I keep them together out of habit. As a result of this however it seems like I have mentalis strain (kind of a dimply bulk under the lower lip?)
5) My tongue feels too big for my mouth. Sometimes it’s difficult to articulate clearly even if I really concentrate on it.
6) I have post nasal drip. This seems odd as I don’t have any sinus problems or issues with allergies. It's like there's a point at which it's difficult to swallow past.
7) I wake up in the morning with a dry mouth and a headache. For the past month I’ve taken to taping my mouth shut at night and now I feel much better when I wake. No headache or dry mouth. Obviously I had been mouth breathing at night before starting taping.
From what I can gather a genioplasty in isolation would only really mask the problem. Do people think I am a candidate for ccw rotation and genioplasty? I was thinking it could work something like this example I found
https://ibb.co/dNoh0Q. Would 20k be too conservative an estimate as to what the whole thing would cost? And if anyone could tell me if factors such as speech difficulties/post nasal drip/mentalis strain can actually be improved by such procedures that would be great.
Apologies for the lengthy post but it’s almost therapeutic to get it all down in writing. It’s all been muddled around in my head for the past while!