Okay lads, its time we addressed the issue that no one seems to want to talk about.
RELAPSE.The lack of jaw & midface development that many of us are trying to remedy has in many cases been caused by years of incorrect posture. Mouth breathing, incorrect tongue posture (and by extension incorrect swallowing patterns) & so on are all at least partially to blame.
So why is this important? Well I feel as though failure to correct such problems significantly increases the chance of relapse, possibly even past the usual timeframe that it can occur.
@Lazlo even stated (here:
http://jawsurgeryforums.com/index.php?topic=5142.msg43727#msg43727) that he's met people who's jaws have recessed yet again in the later years post surgery.
Now I have NO IDEA about class 3's bc it doesn't concern me but as someone with a class 2 bite this makes me feel very uneasy.
I'm aware other factors effect relapse rates much more. There is evidence that shows a strong correlation between relapse and the 'magnitude' (for lack of a better word) of the surgery, with certain procedures also being accompanied by higher % of relapse ie. CCW or downgrafting.
I also understand that the rates of relapse really only skyrocket when a certain threshold is crossed in terms of degrees rotated or mm's advanced.
But regardless in my opinion 10-20% relapse rate is still pretty high, & if I could give myself a better chance of avoiding complications I'd always take it.
I know for a fact no one wants to get a revision if it is avoidable & so I'm asking everyone who's suffered from relapse to come forward, remember that the relapse i'm talking about is specifically for those of us with class 2 bites.
And furthermore, I'd like to ask the people on this forum who are far more versed on these matters, do you believe myofunctional therapy is the solution? correcting postural problems BEFORE surgery could make a difference no? This way your muscles aren't working against you as much, and the underlying issues have been solved as well.
Anyway its food for thought. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!