Metal Mouth Message Board

I am having the hardest time getting this darn key into the hole. I have had my son try, my husband try and I just spent over an hour with a small mirror in my mouth trying to get this key into the hole. I have a very narrow pallet right now and I'm just not seeing the hole that I have to put the key/wrench in...I now will have to drive 40 minutes to my ortho to have them do it on Monday.

On my blog you can see the expander and there's two arrows that point to the back...I see a hole but nothing happens when I put the key in and try to bring it forward...I think I've bent my key now and so I'll need a new one. Very frustrating!!!

I always have my husband turn the key for me. I have to turn it once every day for two months and wear it an additional 3 months for stabilization. Like awillis42606 said, I have gotten attached to my expander, since you can really see the progress of the expansion. I'm very excited to see the final results!

Graceful,

I'm a bit perplexed. If your palate is so narrow, how can it be expanded sufficiently WITHOUT surgery? My understanding is that the bony area of the palate has hardened by one's 20s, so that an RPE appliance without surgery is pushing teeth to the side.

Also, I wonder if it's possible that you've expanded without realizing it. I wound up overexpanding because I wasn't sure if I had succeeded in turning the key or not, and so would do it more than the 2 x/day for 10 days I was supposed to.

4Beauty...

I don't have the answers to your questions, but I trust my orthodontist and prior I asked him about the teeth tipping and that's not his goal, his goal is to widen my pallet...it's been done successfully on adults without surgery and that's what we're trying to avoid. I say my pallet is narrow because I look at it and it is...LOL! Narrower than I'd like to be honest.

It's not possible that I've expanded without realizing it because when I've gotten the key into what I thought was the hole and tried to pull it forwards it doesn't move, so I will need to go into the ortho and have them do it. I was even thinking of going to my close friend the dentist here in town and seeing if he might be able to do it for me.

I had to turn mine once each night for thirty days . I think my expander has to stay in the top of my mouth for three months. To let the bones harden in that place.

Oh yes my mom turned mine.

My palate is narrow, also. The expander will essentailly separate (break) the palate down the middle where the fusion has already taken place. Bones are able to regenerate themselves, so the procedure is done slower than say, preteens, to allow for the gradual new bone growth. As much as I'd love it to MOVE MOVE MOVE!

Just an update...my son was able to finally get the key in and turn it last night...on Mother's Day...what a good son!! I grabbed a really bright light and in a matter of a few seconds he found the hole and turned it.

YAY....now I don't have to drive 40 minutes to the ortho to have them do it! I'm hoping maybe eventually I'll be able to do it but my eye sight is not real good on things that small....I need my glasses anymore to thread a darn needle...LOL!

I turn my own. It takes me like 10 minutes to find it but yeah, I do it myself

Well I'm getting my expander next month I think and I think that my mom is gonna help me turn the key but I'd rather do it myself

What's scaring me is that you guys don't have to turn the key a lot.
My Ortho says that I will need to turn the key THREE TIMES for ONE MONTH .. oh the pain