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SLEEP APNEA SURGERY
Maxillomandibular Expansion
Patients with OSA often have narrowed jaws, thus constricting the intraoral volume. This results in displacement of the tongue towards the back of the throat and consequently airway obstruction. The upper and lower jaws can be widened to improve the airway. Since orthodontic treatment is required with maxillomandibular expansion, it is typically performed on children and young adults. This procedure is generally performed under general anesthesia. A limited bone cut is made on the jaws so as to simply weaken the jaws temporarily. An orthodontic device (distraction device) is placed onto the jaw at the time of the surgery, which incrementally distracts (expands) the jaw. The duration of the procedure is approximately 3 hours, but the distraction process takes about 2 weeks. The orthodontic treatment starts about 3 months after the operation in order to close the spaces created between the teeth. Speech and swallowing are not affected by this procedure. There is a very slight change in facial appearance, but this is often a favorable change. The majority of patients usually return to work in 2 weeks.
Overnight hospitalization is usually recommended after maxillomandibular expansion. In general, patients can usually return to work in 10-14 days.
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