MARPE + lower jaw surgery vs double jaw surgery after camouflage orthodontics? -Please I need advise
I was born with a very severe overjet. It was so bad that multiple orthodontists refused to give me braces as a kid because they said I needed double jaw surgery and had to wait until I was older. My bottom lip couldn’t touch my upper lip, I couldn’t close my mouth naturally, and several of my teeth protruded out of my mouth.
When I was 17, I finally found an orthodontist who told me camouflage orthodontics was another option instead of jaw surgery. My mom and I were relieved because we thought we were avoiding a major surgery, but honestly it became one of my biggest regrets. I’m now 22 and still uncomfortable with my mouth every single day. I still force my lips shut, I developed TMJ issues, speech problems, and sleep apnea, and my mouth feels extremely small and cramped. This was due to the camouflage treatment of pushing my huge overjet back in my mouth..
The camouflage treatment involved upper premolar extractions and retracting my teeth backward. I now feel like my tongue has no room in my mouth. My current orthodontist explained that my palate is narrow and wants to start treatment with MARPE/MSE expansion along with wisdom teeth removal. Their plan is MARPE/MSE expansion, followed by possibly removing two lower teeth, and then lower jaw surgery only (mandibular advancement). They also mentioned the possibility of reopening spaces in my upper jaw and placing implants, but only if everything aligns properly afterward.. so it’s a small chance of not removing more teeth.
What scares me is that this still involves more extractions and irreversible changes after my experience with camouflage orthodontics. I’m terrified of making another mistake that I can’t undo. Part of me wonders if I actually still need double jaw surgery instead, especially because my upper jaw seems narrow/underdeveloped too. My orthodontist said MARPE is a safer alternative than surgically moving the upper jaw, but I keep questioning whether this is truly the best functional and long term solution or if it’s another compromise approach.
Has anyone here gone through something similar after camouflage orthodontics, or anyone knowledgeable about this kind of treatment plan? Does this approach (MARPE + lower jaw surgery with extractions) actually make sense long term, or is there a reason double jaw surgery might be considered instead in cases like this? I’m just trying to understand if this is truly the right functional plan for me.
My biggest fear is going through more years of treatment, pain, and surgery, and still feeling like the root problem wasn’t fully addressed.