Mandibular advancement elevates the base of the tongue.
The palatoglossus muscles couple the soft palate to the base of the tongue. Mandibular
advancement tenses the palatoglossus muscles and pulls the soft palate forward. In the
awake patient, the tensor veli palatini muscles perform this function.
Advancing the mandible and suspending it from the upper jaw decompresses tissues around
the pharynx and allows the pharynx to expand.
The pterygomandibular raphe runs virtually parallel to the palatoglossus muscles and
couples the pharyngeal constrictors to the mandible. This allows mandibular advancement to
tense the pharyngeal constrictors which helps to stabilize the lateral pharyngeal walls.
Mandibular advancement splays the tonsillar arches (formed by the palatoglossus and
palatopharyngeus muscles) and further stabilizes the lateral pharyngeal walls.
