When should I consider orthognathic surgery for my Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
Orthognathic surgery is not a first-step treatment in improving the symptoms of OSA patients. In fact, because of its surgical nature, orthognathic surgery for OSA should be tried after all other non-surgical treatment options have been exhausted first. These other non-surgical therapy options include weight loss, alteration of sleep posture, oral appliance therapy, external nasal support devices, pharmacological therapy, and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Normal healthy breathing is sometimes not possible for certain people with OSA, even after multiple non-surgical therapies and treatments have been tried. Patients who still suffer from OSA after these and other therapies have been attempted may benefit from orthognathic surgery. Other surgical treatment options include tracheostomy, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), laser-assisted uvuloplasty (LAUP), reduction glossectomy, internal and external nasal reconstruction, tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.
