Metal Mouth Message Board

I had my spacers taken out and a palate expander put in, as well as a full set of braces. So far it's been awful. Sleep was a long time in coming to say the least. My tongue is raw from the palate expander, and I can't talk without sounding ridiculous. It has to be turned once a day for two weeks, and after the first turn I can already tell it's going to be brutal. It seems like I'm producing saliva at a far higher rate than normal, but I can't seem to swallow or spit properly. I've tried eating, but it takes forever and it seems like things just get stuck everywhere. So far it's been Tylenol and Advil keeping me going, but everything is still driving me nuts. I'll have the palate expander for 5 months, and braces for a year and a half. Anyways that's my rant over, I'm sure you've all heard it before.

I've been having a quick browse around here and I keep seeing posts about waterpiks. Are these really such a godsend, should I be going out and buying one now? My orthodontist set me up with a crazy amount of different brushes, but I can't get any of them up between my palate expander and the top of my mouth. I'm assuming that this is where a waterpik would help, although I'm guessing that I would be able to use it everywhere.

For those who have had the palate expanders in, how long did it take you to learn to speak properly again? What about swallowing and other functions? What should I do about it scraping my tongue? I tried to post a picture of the style I have, but apparently links aren't allowed if they have photobucket or blogspot in them? Basically it's big and bulky, and they turn it with a pick thing. For all I know that could be the standard type xD

I'm sure you've all read things like this before, so thanks for bearing with me. I'm not at all happy about having to get braces, but they're nothing compared to the palate expander so far. I know it will all be worth it in the end, but it's going to be a long journey. That said, I'm certain there are people on here who have had it far worse than I have, so I know I'll get through it. I'm going to have to look around for things about what foods are easy to eat, how to clean everything etc. I'm sure I'm going to gain a wealth of knowledge from this board, so hello to everyone and thanks for sharing your experiences and advice.

Congrats on taking the plunge! My cousin got a palate expander about a month ago and had a hard time with it, though it must be easier fro him since he's only 8. His ortho strongly recommended a water pik to clean up under the expander since brushes are near impossible to get up there. You could also try using an oral syringe to clean under it, but it's a hassle to keep refilling it. Eat soft foods, I've been reading smoothies and thinned milkshakes are your friend. I can say after my wisdom tooth extraction, ibuprofen, percocet, and all the ice cream and arizona tea I could consume was a g-d-send. Try and get a friend or SO to go to the store, pick up yogurt, lots of straws, ice cream, broth-based soups and mashed potato mix (unless they or you can mash potatoes by yourself) If you have a blender or food processor, try making hummus, smoothies, and ultra-pureed soups in it to survive.

[quote="bashiera"]Congrats on taking the plunge! My cousin got a palate expander about a month ago and had a hard time with it, though it must be easier fro him since he's only 8. His ortho strongly recommended a water pik to clean up under the expander since brushes are near impossible to get up there. You could also try using an oral syringe to clean under it, but it's a hassle to keep refilling it. Eat soft foods, I've been reading smoothies and thinned milkshakes are your friend. I can say after my wisdom tooth extraction, ibuprofen, percocet, and all the ice cream and arizona tea I could consume was a g-d-send. Try and get a friend or SO to go to the store, pick up yogurt, lots of straws, ice cream, broth-based soups and mashed potato mix (unless they or you can mash potatoes by yourself) If you have a blender or food processor, try making hummus, smoothies, and ultra-pureed soups in it to survive.[/quote]
I'm nearly 18, so it's definitely going to be weird going into my last year of high school with all this new gear. Thanks for all the advice, I've stocked up on yogurt and soup. I hadn't thought to try mashed potatoes, I'll give that a go. Hummus is a great idea, I'll have to pick some up. Thanks again! :)

I know it is hard to believe now, but you will get used to the palatal expander. I have had mine in since the end of March (upper and lower) and even though I know they are in there, I am used to them and barely notice them except when eating. A waterpik is strongly recommended as it can be very difficult to get food out with a toothbrush. The saliva WILL go away, lol, even though it seems like it won't. Your mouth isn't used to all the extra gear at the beginning but it will get used to it after a few days. For me, the extra saliva lasted about 3 days, and my speech started to improve after a week, and was almost normal after two weeks. I notice I sometimes still have a lisp, especially if I try to talk too much (mouth starts getting dry, and it seems to make speech worse). And your mouth will also eventually get "roughed up" and used to all the metal, but til then, you can always use wax on the bits that are rough. Good luck!!

[quote="kiele88"]I know it is hard to believe now, but you will get used to the palatal expander. I have had mine in since the end of March (upper and lower) and even though I know they are in there, I am used to them and barely notice them except when eating. A waterpik is strongly recommended as it can be very difficult to get food out with a toothbrush. The saliva WILL go away, lol, even though it seems like it won't. Your mouth isn't used to all the extra gear at the beginning but it will get used to it after a few days. For me, the extra saliva lasted about 3 days, and my speech started to improve after a week, and was almost normal after two weeks. I notice I sometimes still have a lisp, especially if I try to talk too much (mouth starts getting dry, and it seems to make speech worse). And your mouth will also eventually get "roughed up" and used to all the metal, but til then, you can always use wax on the bits that are rough. Good luck!![/quote]

You have know idea how reassuring that post was for me, thank you so much!!!! The extra saliva is driving me wild, and since I still can't swallow right it feels like I'm drowning in my mouth sometimes :P As for the speech, that's great to hear, really hoping that I'll be sounding normal again before school starts back up. I think I'm going to go get a waterpik since everyone is saying they're so useful. Thanks again, you've just made my day a lot better with that post, thank you!