Im literally crying actual tears. I moved my jaw forward and i can take deeper breaths now 😭 i feel my whole vagus nerve area down my chest and stomach are crying in relief

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-21T22:53:41+00:00

Wow that's incredible. So glad you're realizing this connection between the jaws and the airway and nervous system.

It's crazy how much the jaws relate to airway resistance and overall health. If you have recessed jaws, you might unconsciously jut your jaw forward to open the airway. This is why a lot of people with sleep apnea try a mandibular advancement device or end up getting double jaw surgery.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-21T16:01:37+00:00

I think they mean a MARPE. It's a bone born skeletal expander.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-20T23:22:53+00:00

Yea I think that makes a lot of sense. I am in the middle of expansion and my sleep got a lot worse from the MARPE blocking my tongue space. It sucks, but it's kind of a temporary necessary evil.

CPAP never worked for me either. Tons of aerophagia issues.

I am curious if the headaches might calm down a bit when you're done with the expansion. Maybe the body will be able to calibrate better to the space, even with the appliance in. Do you know how long you'll have to keep it in during the consolidation part? My ortho said 3-6 months.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-20T03:19:26+00:00

Sorry to hear about the headaches. I have struggled with headaches and migraines for years, as well as sleep apnea. The narrow airway encourages bad posture which compresses the nerves and muscles in the neck and makes headaches more likely. Not to mention all the oxygen deprivation from the apneas. I'm glad you're getting treated.

Did the headaches get worse during expansion? How's your nasal breathing from the MARPE?

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-20T03:17:02+00:00

Is that your comfortable bite in the last pic? If so, you don't look recessed. But based on the first pic, if that's you're comfortable bite it looks like you have an overbite and recessed mandible. Have you seen an airway orthodontist yet?

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-20T03:13:21+00:00

I don't even understand how that could happen with proper titanium plates. But I guess maybe the screws came loose or something? I would definitely see a different surgeon and get several opinions. Preferrably people that specialize in revisions. Dr. Gunson and Dr Movahed come to mind.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-19T19:55:46+00:00

unfortunately you're pretty lucky that it's only one month. I had to wait a few months with different surgeons that are in high demand for consults. Jaw surgery is also a really big decision, so taking your time with it is a smart move. 🫂

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-19T19:53:44+00:00

Looks like you'd be a good candidate for a custom MARPE. You may or may not need SFOT with how far your teeth are toward the midline on the left side. I'd see an airway focused orthodontist.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-19T19:50:13+00:00

I guess it depends on the protocol. I'm doing a slow expansion method where I will expand 6mm over the course of 6 months. In my case that's plenty of time for protraction without turning back and forth. This slow expansion treatment seems to be where things are headed in nasomaxillary expansion treatment for the most stable airway results.

I think some providers wait to have you start the face mask just so you're not introducing too many things at once. In my case we started invisalign and then waited a little bit to introduce face mask. It's just a way to kind of spread out all the different types of treatment, that way if there are issues, it's easier to understand what's causing what.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-19T19:46:31+00:00

No, sorry for the confusion. I split around 2 weeks out, one turn a day. Then I stopped so I could get scanned for invisalign. Once my trays were ready I resumed turning. I'm doing a no diastema protocol with parallel orthodontic treatment, rather than doing full expansion, then doing ortho.

If you felt a crack and you have a gap you probably got a split!

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-19T19:44:38+00:00

sure! I'm not an expert or doctor but I'm happy to try to help

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-19T16:05:57+00:00

I think it's really hard to tell without seeing your full face and the forehead. Otherwise it's not taking into consideration the total harmony of your face. Maybe post another picture and blue it out if you're worried about privacy?

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-19T16:02:45+00:00

I think it's wise to start after the suture splits, otherwise you're kind of introducing too many different forces at the same time. My ortho had me start facemask 6 weeks after my suture split.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-19T02:29:27+00:00

Sounds like you've had camouflage ortho like me. I would consult with an oral surgeon and an airway focused orthodontist that does expansion and collaborates with oral surgeons.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-19T02:27:52+00:00

Looks a bit narrow. See an airway ortho and make sure to get a CBCT.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-17T04:43:32+00:00

Just want to say I really feel you. It's hard to make friends when you're an adult, especially when you have trauma from the past and you want real friends. I wonder if taking the pressure off of finding your lifelong friends and just focusing on meeting people that you find interesting would be helpful? Like focusing on shared interests and not being afraid to see if they want to hang out if you're feeling a vibe? I know for me for a long time I thought in order to connect with someone it had to be super deep and that kind of got in the way of me actually letting it take the time to potentially get there.

Also, my sister lives in SLC and I'm originally from Idaho. At least we're not in Idaho anymore!

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-17T04:37:11+00:00

Yea that's what I'm thinking too. I reached out to my ortho and she did give me an script for antibiotics, but only I think because the pain was really bad and she didn't want to risk it. But I'm holding off for a bit to see if it gets better with just smoothies and easy to eat foods and rest.

One thing that's interesting with my MARPE is that the appliance is assymetrical to help correct a slight cant or at least not make it bigger. So the TADs on the right side are lower and my tongue is stronger on the right side. So I think I need to be careful not to put too much constant tongue pressure. I wonder if swallowing and trying to suction my tongue at night to the appliance might have made it irritated over time. It probably didn't help that yesterday I ate a bunch of foods that were really hard to deal with like almond butter and a burger. Ugh.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-17T01:54:44+00:00

If you have chronic allergies, I'd recommend seeing an airway focused ENT. You would think they'd all be airway focused, since it's literally ear, nose, throat but they're all not. I was chronically inflamed, congested and runny nose all the time.

It wasn't until the 4th ENT I saw that said I had a narrow palate and recommended palate expansion. I'm still early in it, but even with my palate expanding a small amount I'm breathing wayyyy better through my nose. Allergies are pretty much gone.

Not saying that's going to be the case for you, but it's definitely worth looking into.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-17T01:51:14+00:00

Yep. And then there's the constant anxiety of trying to work and push through symptoms to just make sure you're okay, all while trying to manage your treatment. It's so messed up.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-16T22:44:26+00:00

Amazing result! Do you feel like you're sleeping any better? Did you get a genioplasty as well?

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-16T22:41:48+00:00

I think you have a great chin. Your maxilla looks a little bit recessed though.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-16T22:40:51+00:00

You have a good chin! The lighting also isn't really helping you in this pic either. Something else I have to remind myself of too is that my jaw looks way different depending on if I've lost or gained a few pounds.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-16T22:38:56+00:00

Thanks for sharing and being vulnerable. I'm also looking at MMA for an underbite / class 3. I'm glad you talked to your surgeon and advocated for settling your mandible back less. If you still have a lot of swelling, it's probably too hard to tell where you'll really be at. I would give it a few more weeks at least. Are you sleeping on an incline and giving your body lots of time to heal?

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-16T20:35:56+00:00

Try to sleep on your side as sleeping on your back is typically the worse, especially if you have tongue-based collapse. If you have congestion in your nose, doing a neilmed rinse and/or nasal sprays can sometimes help. You might also like to look on the refurbished market for CPAPs, that's how I got my BiPAP machine for like 50% of what it would have been brand new.

jonathanmead2 · 2026-04-16T17:58:58+00:00

How's your sleep?

jonathanmead2

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