Hi everyone!
I wanted to introduce myself. I am in my late 30's, and have wanted to have a nice smile...well...since I can remember! I have some crowding, as well as a bit of an overbite and just had RPE's placed in upper and lower a few weeks ago. The upper is removable, the lower is fixed. I did do a lot of research and know there is widely varying opinions about the use of RPE's on adults, but I feel comfortable with my decision. Way back when I was in high school ;), one of my best friends' mother had an upper RPE (but no jaw surgery) the same time as her daughter and her teeth turned out fantastic, and still are, so she has been a personal inspiration.
Anyway, the palate expanders have been an interesting experience thus far. The removable went in first, and the lower was fixed a couple days later after spacers were placed. I had a lot of difficultly getting used to them the first few days, mainly due to feeling like I was gagging plus there was so much extra saliva, but after that subsided it really hasn't been that bad. I actually look forward to the days I get to turn the keys as I feel it is bringing a nice smile an eensy teensy step closer each time. The RPE's will be on 6-8 months, and then onto braces/invisalign, maybe a twin block (?) if it is needed (now that looks interesting...not!)
The one thing that is making me nervous is the possibility of getting the large gap in my front teeth. I guess because I have always been self conscious about my teeth, I am worried that a large gap will make me even more self conscious. Crazy thing to worry about, huh? Has anyone else here with the RPE escaped the large front tooth gap, or is it just inescapable?
Nice to meet you all! I look forward to sharing more with you in the future:)
New here, RPE upper and lower, braced in future
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Re: New here, RPE upper and lower, braced in future
Welcome from Wanda ...so looking forward to hearing all about your journey. As you know my expander went on yesterday and I turned key today , a very wierd feeling . Not sure if you need to worry about a gap as think its more the younger people who get that but I could be wrong ? When do you get your braces on and what kind are you getting ? 
Wishing you lots of luck .
Wishing you lots of luck .
Re: New here, RPE upper and lower, braced in future
You're right Wanda, it is a rather weird feeling isn't it? I thought it would hurt, but it doesn't really hurt....but there is some definite soreness when eating. I am sure you are probably experiencing something similar? I lived off of smoothies/applesauce the first few days but have graduated to bean burritos literally smothered in enchilada sauce (making it extra smooshy), cottage cheese, and other soft but heartier foods.
Braces come after the expander comes off...by my calculations sometime by the end of September (earliest) or end of November (latest). We are shooting for invisalign or something similar but I am also open to regular ole braces if I have to go that route as well. I have waited so long that I really don't care at this point, I am just anxious to get started on something! Looking forward to getting updates from you as well:)
Braces come after the expander comes off...by my calculations sometime by the end of September (earliest) or end of November (latest). We are shooting for invisalign or something similar but I am also open to regular ole braces if I have to go that route as well. I have waited so long that I really don't care at this point, I am just anxious to get started on something! Looking forward to getting updates from you as well:)
Re: New here, RPE upper and lower, braced in future
I just got my braces in early April, after SARPE in early November. My gap was 11mm at its widest.
I cannot say it is an experience I would like to repeat, but the end result is SO worth it. I wasn't particularly self-conscious about my smile before the surgery / RPE (though I did have two teeth that were wonky due to crowding) so dealing with the gap was a pretty big deal for me. I sucked it up and dealt with it - didn't use dental wax to hide it, still went out drinking, still gave presentations. It made me extremely self-conscious about my smile but that didn't stop me from enjoying myself. It did impact my willingness to meet new people (I ALWAYS wanted to explain "I never used to have this gap! It'll be gone soon!") but didn't completely eradicate it.
Now that I've had braces for a few weeks (expander out in 3 weeks!) my gap is nearly closed. My teeth are touching at the bottom and there's a small gap (~2mm) at the top. I am not self-conscious about it at all anymore. After all, before the RPE I still had two crowded teeth, and now my teeth are pretty straight save for my small triangular gap. As far as I'm concerned my teeth look better now than they did before, ESPECIALLY because I have braces so people are quite aware what the end result will be.
On top of that, the subtle changes that palatal expansion has given my face have been extremely positive. Barely noticeable, but enough to tell that my face looks more "balanced" (I don't think I looked bad before --- just definitely better now).
In the end, the gap sucks but if you can deal with it, the time will fly by. It won't seem that way at times but when you get to braces you will wonder where the time went. What I always did was smile in the mirror and remind myself how awesome it'll look when my braces bring everything back together.
Good luck!
I cannot say it is an experience I would like to repeat, but the end result is SO worth it. I wasn't particularly self-conscious about my smile before the surgery / RPE (though I did have two teeth that were wonky due to crowding) so dealing with the gap was a pretty big deal for me. I sucked it up and dealt with it - didn't use dental wax to hide it, still went out drinking, still gave presentations. It made me extremely self-conscious about my smile but that didn't stop me from enjoying myself. It did impact my willingness to meet new people (I ALWAYS wanted to explain "I never used to have this gap! It'll be gone soon!") but didn't completely eradicate it.
Now that I've had braces for a few weeks (expander out in 3 weeks!) my gap is nearly closed. My teeth are touching at the bottom and there's a small gap (~2mm) at the top. I am not self-conscious about it at all anymore. After all, before the RPE I still had two crowded teeth, and now my teeth are pretty straight save for my small triangular gap. As far as I'm concerned my teeth look better now than they did before, ESPECIALLY because I have braces so people are quite aware what the end result will be.
On top of that, the subtle changes that palatal expansion has given my face have been extremely positive. Barely noticeable, but enough to tell that my face looks more "balanced" (I don't think I looked bad before --- just definitely better now).
In the end, the gap sucks but if you can deal with it, the time will fly by. It won't seem that way at times but when you get to braces you will wonder where the time went. What I always did was smile in the mirror and remind myself how awesome it'll look when my braces bring everything back together.
Good luck!