Ortho said 'nobody will touch you' to fix my sleep apnea and breathing. Advice?

[Derman0524]

hi everyone, my bite was fixed when I was younger with braces but my jaws never developed. My mom's side of the family all have recessed jaws and so do I. This has caused sleep apnea and breathing issues for myself but my ortho just said 'nobody will touch you, your jaw looks fine: https://imgur.com/a/wyk0FA3

I had a chin implant done in 2017 to help with my side profile and after about a year when the swelling went down, my profile looks the same. The above link is with a chin implant so you can see for yourself. Any advice would be greatly appreciated since I need a referral from an ortho to head to a jaw surgeon.....I'm located in Toronto btw. Should I starting figuring out a second opinion?

[kavan]

Could it be that that the circumstance of your ortho saying 'no one would touch you', he was referring to the National Health System in CANADA as to free or low cost help where they might have some preclusion for that on the basis of the 'bite bieng right', like a preclusion if they feel it's being pursued for aesthetics?

If that's the case and you want the Canadian system to do the jaw advancement, maybe consider asking your primary care doctor for a SLEEP STUDY to confirm possible apnea.

The other option, to the best of my knowledge, is the self pay option which is very much on the expensive side. Some people on the board, travel to Europe or US to 'Big Name' doctors in US when a concern is 'for aesthetics' or 'preventative sleep apnea' via the jaw advancement.

As mod, I hesitate to openly name them though as to avoid appearance of giving a recommendation. But there are others on here who have sought out the 'Big Names' in the event you are considering the self pay option.

[Derman0524]

Could it be that that the circumstance of your ortho saying 'no one would touch you', he was referring to the National Health System in CANADA as to free or low cost help where they might have some preclusion for that on the basis of the 'bite bieng right', like a preclusion if they feel it's being pursued for aesthetics?

If that's the case and you want the Canadian system to do the jaw advancement, maybe consider asking your primary care doctor for a SLEEP STUDY to confirm possible apnea.

The other option, to the best of my knowledge, is the self pay option which is very much on the expensive side. Some people on the board, travel to Europe or US to 'Big Name' doctors in US when a concern is 'for aesthetics' or 'preventative sleep apnea' via the jaw advancement.

As mod, I hesitate to openly name them though as to avoid appearance of giving a recommendation. But there are others on here who have sought out the 'Big Names' in the event you are considering the self pay option.

So I did a sleep study done and I do have sleep apnea. I don't understand the process, but my sleep doctor referred me to an ENT for consult in May but I have a feeling they're going to offer me an appliance to solve it. I can't get a clear answer on how to get it treated with jaw advancement. I spoke to a clinic today who said they could do it for $6K which I found super cheap but they need referral from my doctor or ortho....

[kavan]

So I did a sleep study done and I do have sleep apnea. I don't understand the process, but my sleep doctor referred me to an ENT for consult in May but I have a feeling they're going to offer me an appliance to solve it. I can't get a clear answer on how to get it treated with jaw advancement. I spoke to a clinic today who said they could do it for $6K which I found super cheap but they need referral from my doctor or ortho....

Ask for referral to maxillo-facial doc or explore the travel outside of Canada process.

[Derman0524]

Ask for referral to maxillo-facial doc or explore the travel outside of Canada process.

From my medical doctor I should ask for the referral? or my sleep doctor?

[kavan]

From my medical doctor I should ask for the referral? or my sleep doctor?

I don't know the ins and outs of the med bureaucracy in Canada as to exactly which doctor, primary care doctor (PCP) or sleep doctor should give referral. But since there are 2, try asking both. Make your PCP aware that you have sleep apnea which is something that can be addressed by jaw advancement (maxfax surgery) and ask the PCP IF he/she can give referral to consult with a maxfax. Basically, to find out WHICH ONE can give a referral for jaw surgery, you need to ask BOTH.

Let me put it this way: On this board, I, myself, have never heard of anyone on here actually travelling TO Canada for aesthetically enhancing maxfax surgery whether or not they have sleep apnea. Instead, it's the other way around where those in Canada, whether or not they have sleep apnea, elect to TRAVEL OUTSIDE of Canada (US or Europe) to doctors with a reputation for addressing FACE, AIRWAY and BITE in such a way that aesthetic balance of all is optimized. However, as I said prior, that is self pay and on the expensive side.

[TWGOAT]

i'd just get another ortho if i were you, say you have confirmed sleep apnea and you want to be referred to a maxfac surgeon. Take the referral letter and find the best surgeons in Toronto and get a consult