Ashley, I had my braces put on before my SARPE. About a month before. I asked my ortho if I could get my expander in as close to a few days before my SARPE surgery as possible so that I would not have to wear it any extra time. He was very good about it and I was able to schedule an appointment 3 days before. My expander was not cemented in though, as my OS wanted to be able to take it out if necessary during my SARPE, so he was supposed to glue it in and give it a few turns before finishing things up.
I don't see why your ortho would not work with you on this. I mean the RPE sucks! Wearing it an extra 4-6 months for nothing is just ridiculous! You don't need it. Also, keeping it in for a year is way too long. I think it was about 3.5 months post SARPE I got a TPA wire. It was sooo much better and honestly I don't think I could've lasted 6 months in RPE little lone a year.
As far as the expansion itself goes it shouldn't take all that long. Mine was about 18 days total, and I turned once in the morning and once at night.
I've had some more surgery (upper, lower, and genio) since then, but I will be getting out of braces the end of November which is a total of 1 year and 9 months. So....depending on how much needs to be done to your teeth it could be sooner. Two years sounds like a good estimate though.
I would definitely talk with your doctor about the other stuff though.
Hope this helps!
Brandy
SARPE Surgery
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Brandyleigh35
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chipmunkcheeks
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surgery date
hey michelle and all,
im doing well. i have 2 weeks until my next OD adjustment. my front teeth are pretty much straight now and only 1mm apart! so close. only 3 months post op, no braces. i say thats a pretty good feat. the gap on the bottom is closing as well.
in regards to a surgery date. i think my OS is trying to have me ready for the very beginning of july, just as with the other surgery because i do not get out of elementary school until june 26th. though, i did say if i could get it right at the end of the school year, that it would be great. the longer i have to recover the better.
since my face is pretty messed up, according to me, i know what i have ot get done, and its not like in surgery they will change their minds...its al necessary...upper leveled and set back a bit with excess removed, lower extended, and genioplasty. i know i need the genio for sure so i am at peace with the fact that most likely it will be out of pocket...
anyways, hope all is well. i am praying to contact of my front teeth soon! i will post a pic when it happens!!! talk to you all later!
Lisa
im doing well. i have 2 weeks until my next OD adjustment. my front teeth are pretty much straight now and only 1mm apart! so close. only 3 months post op, no braces. i say thats a pretty good feat. the gap on the bottom is closing as well.
in regards to a surgery date. i think my OS is trying to have me ready for the very beginning of july, just as with the other surgery because i do not get out of elementary school until june 26th. though, i did say if i could get it right at the end of the school year, that it would be great. the longer i have to recover the better.
since my face is pretty messed up, according to me, i know what i have ot get done, and its not like in surgery they will change their minds...its al necessary...upper leveled and set back a bit with excess removed, lower extended, and genioplasty. i know i need the genio for sure so i am at peace with the fact that most likely it will be out of pocket...
anyways, hope all is well. i am praying to contact of my front teeth soon! i will post a pic when it happens!!! talk to you all later!
Lisa
Brandy...Thanks so much for your response. I think I will ask my ortho at my records visit if we can put the expander in at a later date. Hopefully he agrees!
Congrats on getting your braces off soon! It sounds like you have had a lot of work done so you must be looking forward to an empty mouth!! I don't think my braces will be on for the full two years, but I guess my ortho wanted me prepared, just in case.
Lisa - Good to hear your front teeth are almost closed up. Call me vain, but I am really not looking forward to having a big gap in my teeth
Ash
Congrats on getting your braces off soon! It sounds like you have had a lot of work done so you must be looking forward to an empty mouth!! I don't think my braces will be on for the full two years, but I guess my ortho wanted me prepared, just in case.
Lisa - Good to hear your front teeth are almost closed up. Call me vain, but I am really not looking forward to having a big gap in my teeth
Ash
Ashley,
I just want to reinforce what Brandy said about the RPE. My orthodontist was (and IS!) great--he put mine in literally the day before my SARPE surgery. There is no reason to have it in any sooner than that! About two weeks after that, I was in the office to learn how to turn it, and done expanding in 24 days. I wore it for about five months, and then a TPA (trans palatal arch) for another four months or so. I think that is pretty standard. I did not find the TPA much easier to deal with than the RPE, but most people do, I think. There is NO reason for you to have that hunk of metal in your mouth for a year, that's for sure!
I just want to reinforce what Brandy said about the RPE. My orthodontist was (and IS!) great--he put mine in literally the day before my SARPE surgery. There is no reason to have it in any sooner than that! About two weeks after that, I was in the office to learn how to turn it, and done expanding in 24 days. I wore it for about five months, and then a TPA (trans palatal arch) for another four months or so. I think that is pretty standard. I did not find the TPA much easier to deal with than the RPE, but most people do, I think. There is NO reason for you to have that hunk of metal in your mouth for a year, that's for sure!
There are no ordinary moments.
Check out my blog! http://pcadams.wordpress.com/
Check out my blog! http://pcadams.wordpress.com/
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crazybeautiful
- Posts: 745
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Hey guys,
Finally getting somewhere with this and next week will know when my SARPE is. How long will I need off college? (This qustion will obviously be asked when I go for my app., but I thought you could tell me, approximately of course
) After a few days is there really any need for me to stay at home? College isn't that strenuous really, and I hate having a bulk of work to catch up on 
And Ashley09, I have no experince at all, but like Brandy and Phil said, there's no need having a piece of anoying metal sitting in your mouth with no purpose whatsoever. I had mine fitted a few weeks ago, and she asked if I wanted it cemeting in then. Erm, no thanks! It's silly to have the extra annoyance when you don't need it. I think I'll have to have the appliance fitted a week prior- and that's bad enough!
Finally getting somewhere with this and next week will know when my SARPE is. How long will I need off college? (This qustion will obviously be asked when I go for my app., but I thought you could tell me, approximately of course
) After a few days is there really any need for me to stay at home? College isn't that strenuous really, and I hate having a bulk of work to catch up on And Ashley09, I have no experince at all, but like Brandy and Phil said, there's no need having a piece of anoying metal sitting in your mouth with no purpose whatsoever. I had mine fitted a few weeks ago, and she asked if I wanted it cemeting in then. Erm, no thanks! It's silly to have the extra annoyance when you don't need it. I think I'll have to have the appliance fitted a week prior- and that's bad enough!
Hey everyone...
So I called my Ortho assistant about having the expander put in closer to the surgery date. At first she kinda blew me off and said it was just the way it was done but I pushed her to at least talk to my otho about it. He agreed that as long as I get a firm surgery date at my surgeon consultation, he can install it about a week in advance! SCORE! Guess this proves that it never hurts to ask!
Thanks for your support guys! This was a lot easier knowing that I was right!
Ash
So I called my Ortho assistant about having the expander put in closer to the surgery date. At first she kinda blew me off and said it was just the way it was done but I pushed her to at least talk to my otho about it. He agreed that as long as I get a firm surgery date at my surgeon consultation, he can install it about a week in advance! SCORE! Guess this proves that it never hurts to ask!
Thanks for your support guys! This was a lot easier knowing that I was right!
Ash
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Brandyleigh35
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Yea! That is so true. Most of the time I have found that my doctors are pretty agreeable with requests. I was going to ask my ortho about a TPA when I had my RPE in and the day I was going to bring it up to him, he said...."on your next visit we will take this thing out and give you a TPA" I said Awesome! I was just going to ask you about one of those!
It will be so much better only have it a week before. That will give you time to get used to it a little bit before the SARPE. The first few days you are going to be drooling like a faucet. Plus learning the tongue gymnastics for eating can be a bit exhausting the first few days too. I remember my tongue just being physically tired, and irritated. It is amazing how quickly we adapt though and within a couple weeks things were greatly improved. Good luck to you!
Brandy
It will be so much better only have it a week before. That will give you time to get used to it a little bit before the SARPE. The first few days you are going to be drooling like a faucet. Plus learning the tongue gymnastics for eating can be a bit exhausting the first few days too. I remember my tongue just being physically tired, and irritated. It is amazing how quickly we adapt though and within a couple weeks things were greatly improved. Good luck to you!
Brandy
I finally feel like this whole journey is really starting now. I have my records consult next week, and my surgeon consult the first week of January (apparently he's super busy and this was the earliest date I could get!) It seems like a long way off but at least it's a start.
Brandy...Without sounding too sappy, I have to tell you how awesome it is to have you on this board. I love how you just tell it like it is - No sugar coating (case in point: you're drooling like a faucet comment). It's just reassuring to know I can come here and get a straightforward honest answer from someone who's been there. THANKS!
Ash
Brandy...Without sounding too sappy, I have to tell you how awesome it is to have you on this board. I love how you just tell it like it is - No sugar coating (case in point: you're drooling like a faucet comment). It's just reassuring to know I can come here and get a straightforward honest answer from someone who's been there. THANKS!
Ash
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wardenclyffe
- Posts: 45
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2007 9:34 pm
Expander gone! I had it removed yesterday! I'm free!
OK, so here's the deal. It didn't hurt having it removed, but I know for others it can be painful. There's a lot of pressure for just a few seconds at a time to cut the bands around each of the four teeth. My teeth are not particularly sensitive, so it wasn't bad.
No TPA (for now). I will probably need one. They deliberately over-expanded my jaw. It should naturally retact a little and when it reaches its optimal point, they will put in the TPA to stop it.
It's looking less and less like I will need Lefort 1 surgery (hooray!), but that's not a done deal yet. It's more likely that I will get screws implanted into my jaws above (or below depending on how you look at it) my teeth through my gums. This sounds grisly, but not as bad as Lefort 1, plus it's considered part of the treatment I've already paid for, but the surgery would cost extra---like thousands extra. Now I have to find a nice long topic about this in the metal mouth message board universe.
I thought I'd be able to celebrate by having a big meal, but she really tightened everything up which made my mouth a little sore. Also, I'll admit that I became used to the expander. I don't miss it, but I'm trying to adjust to the "new normal" which is nothing like the previous normal (with the expander) or the original normal (my mouth before the journey began). I still feel I'm talking a little funny, but hopefully that'll go away.
So, that's it. I'm far from finished with orthodontia and I will probably continue posting on this topic, but I've achieved one big milestone.
Ashley, congrats on winning that battle with your ortho. I'm glad the board was helpful. You have no idea, at this point, how grateful you will be when you don't have to wear that expander for a few extra months. You think you are grateful now, just wait.
Ward
OK, so here's the deal. It didn't hurt having it removed, but I know for others it can be painful. There's a lot of pressure for just a few seconds at a time to cut the bands around each of the four teeth. My teeth are not particularly sensitive, so it wasn't bad.
No TPA (for now). I will probably need one. They deliberately over-expanded my jaw. It should naturally retact a little and when it reaches its optimal point, they will put in the TPA to stop it.
It's looking less and less like I will need Lefort 1 surgery (hooray!), but that's not a done deal yet. It's more likely that I will get screws implanted into my jaws above (or below depending on how you look at it) my teeth through my gums. This sounds grisly, but not as bad as Lefort 1, plus it's considered part of the treatment I've already paid for, but the surgery would cost extra---like thousands extra. Now I have to find a nice long topic about this in the metal mouth message board universe.
I thought I'd be able to celebrate by having a big meal, but she really tightened everything up which made my mouth a little sore. Also, I'll admit that I became used to the expander. I don't miss it, but I'm trying to adjust to the "new normal" which is nothing like the previous normal (with the expander) or the original normal (my mouth before the journey began). I still feel I'm talking a little funny, but hopefully that'll go away.
So, that's it. I'm far from finished with orthodontia and I will probably continue posting on this topic, but I've achieved one big milestone.
Ashley, congrats on winning that battle with your ortho. I'm glad the board was helpful. You have no idea, at this point, how grateful you will be when you don't have to wear that expander for a few extra months. You think you are grateful now, just wait.
Ward
Ward - Congrats on getting rid of your expander! How long did you have it in for? Also good to hear that you might not need the Lefort 1, although having screws put in doesn't sound like a picnic either...hope you can have your celebratory meal soon!
Do you have any progress or before/after pics?
Ash
Do you have any progress or before/after pics?
Ash
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wardenclyffe
- Posts: 45
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My expander went in a few days before my SARPE surgey which took place on the last day of May. It came out on Nov. 1st. This has already turned into a story problem and I'm no good at math. I was supposed to go to an all you can eat lobster meal tomorrow, but I think it might be postponed for reasons that have nothing to do with my teeth.
Ward
Ward
Ward,
WOOHOO!! I am so happy for you! I get mine out on Tuesday the 13th. I can't wait. Although, like you, I wonder if it will seem strange without it. After alomost 6 months, as much as I don't like it, I've gotten used to it. That's great news about the Lefort, I wish I could say the same. You'll have to try and post pictures sometime.
I have to go in today and have spacers put in for my bottom braces that go on next week too. What a huge appt. that will be. RPE removed, TPA installed, bottom braces put on. Progress! Right?
Ashley09,
Congrats on postponing that RPE installation. You don't want that thing any longer than necessary! January will be here sooner than you think, especailly with all of the holidays.
I have to agree with you about Brandy. Have you read her blog?? It is amazing, so full of info. Check it out!
Crazy Beautiful,
Any SARPE date yet? I took off a week from work. The last two days of that week, I actually went on an overnight visit to a college my daughter was looking at. So, you shouldn't need to much time. Just take it easy when you do go back.
Lisa,
How's that gap coming?
Hope everyone is doing well.
Michelle
http://www.myorthojourney.blogspot.com/
WOOHOO!! I am so happy for you! I get mine out on Tuesday the 13th. I can't wait. Although, like you, I wonder if it will seem strange without it. After alomost 6 months, as much as I don't like it, I've gotten used to it. That's great news about the Lefort, I wish I could say the same. You'll have to try and post pictures sometime.
I have to go in today and have spacers put in for my bottom braces that go on next week too. What a huge appt. that will be. RPE removed, TPA installed, bottom braces put on. Progress! Right?
Ashley09,
Congrats on postponing that RPE installation. You don't want that thing any longer than necessary! January will be here sooner than you think, especailly with all of the holidays.
I have to agree with you about Brandy. Have you read her blog?? It is amazing, so full of info. Check it out!
Crazy Beautiful,
Any SARPE date yet? I took off a week from work. The last two days of that week, I actually went on an overnight visit to a college my daughter was looking at. So, you shouldn't need to much time. Just take it easy when you do go back.
Lisa,
How's that gap coming?
Hope everyone is doing well.
Michelle
http://www.myorthojourney.blogspot.com/
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Brandyleigh35
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Sorry double post...see below.
Last edited by Brandyleigh35 on Tue Nov 06, 2007 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Brandyleigh35
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Hey Ashley,
Thanks! Glad to help. I know when I had my SARPE done there wasn't much info on this board about it. A couple others has gone through it, but nobody really detailed it and I wanted to see pics and specifics. That is why I started my whole blog in the first place. To really show all the stuff that I couldn't find when I was looking.
So glad you have been able to postpone the RPE placement. You will be so happy that you don't have to wear that thing any longer then necessary. I know many others have had them, but honestly the RPE was the hardest part for me. I hated it every second I had it, and had days where I seriously thought I was going to lose my mind with it. I found out that my tongue is not very forgiving or adaptable. Plus I have a job where I have to talk all day long so it just never got a break. It would get so sore and just bleed. Was crazy! I have not seen another person yet have as tough a time with the RPE as I had. IT SUCKED FOR ME! I truly consider hanging with that torture device for 4 months one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with. One thing that I really disliked about it, is that it seems like my tongue just couldn't leave the thing alone. Even when I wasn't talking my tongue would be messing with it, or pushing up against it. Like it was constantly fighting to get the stupid thing out! Some people say that the TPA they got afterwards wasn't much better, but I totally disagree! It was the difference between heaven and hell for me! Soooooo much better! Once I got through the whole SARPE, expansion, RPE deal, life definitely got much better. What's that saying...that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger! I can definitely say that I felt so proud of myself for getting through all of that when it was over. So while I have unpleasant memories about it, I also got to see how strong I can be, and that I could do it, and in retrospect it really doesn't seem like it was THAT bad lol.
I'm sure you will not have near as many issues as I had though, and I do hope my blog or info has helped you feel a little less stressed about it, that was the goal at least.
Ward,
Congrats on getting the RPE out! That was truly one of the best days of my life, so I'm sure you must be thrilled. Doesn't your mouth feel huge now? I remember feeling like you could park a car in my mouth it felt so big. Great news that you might not need the Lefort 1 either! That has gotta have you pretty psyched!
Michelle! Yes it will feel strange without the RPE, but trust me when I say you will adapt quickly (like in 2 seconds after it comes out) LOL.... You will realize once it is gone just how much more intrusive it really was. Plus your mouth will feel giant. Like moving from a condo to a luxury mansion!
I will be interested in hearing if you have issues eating afterwards with all the extra room in there. I still haven't quite got that figured out yet!
Thanks for the compliment on my blog, so glad it has been useful for you. Makes me feel good that I'm accomplishing my objective with it, which was to help others!
Brandy
Thanks! Glad to help. I know when I had my SARPE done there wasn't much info on this board about it. A couple others has gone through it, but nobody really detailed it and I wanted to see pics and specifics. That is why I started my whole blog in the first place. To really show all the stuff that I couldn't find when I was looking.
So glad you have been able to postpone the RPE placement. You will be so happy that you don't have to wear that thing any longer then necessary. I know many others have had them, but honestly the RPE was the hardest part for me. I hated it every second I had it, and had days where I seriously thought I was going to lose my mind with it. I found out that my tongue is not very forgiving or adaptable. Plus I have a job where I have to talk all day long so it just never got a break. It would get so sore and just bleed. Was crazy! I have not seen another person yet have as tough a time with the RPE as I had. IT SUCKED FOR ME! I truly consider hanging with that torture device for 4 months one of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with. One thing that I really disliked about it, is that it seems like my tongue just couldn't leave the thing alone. Even when I wasn't talking my tongue would be messing with it, or pushing up against it. Like it was constantly fighting to get the stupid thing out! Some people say that the TPA they got afterwards wasn't much better, but I totally disagree! It was the difference between heaven and hell for me! Soooooo much better! Once I got through the whole SARPE, expansion, RPE deal, life definitely got much better. What's that saying...that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger! I can definitely say that I felt so proud of myself for getting through all of that when it was over. So while I have unpleasant memories about it, I also got to see how strong I can be, and that I could do it, and in retrospect it really doesn't seem like it was THAT bad lol.
I'm sure you will not have near as many issues as I had though, and I do hope my blog or info has helped you feel a little less stressed about it, that was the goal at least.
Ward,
Congrats on getting the RPE out! That was truly one of the best days of my life, so I'm sure you must be thrilled. Doesn't your mouth feel huge now? I remember feeling like you could park a car in my mouth it felt so big. Great news that you might not need the Lefort 1 either! That has gotta have you pretty psyched!
Michelle! Yes it will feel strange without the RPE, but trust me when I say you will adapt quickly (like in 2 seconds after it comes out) LOL.... You will realize once it is gone just how much more intrusive it really was. Plus your mouth will feel giant. Like moving from a condo to a luxury mansion!
I will be interested in hearing if you have issues eating afterwards with all the extra room in there. I still haven't quite got that figured out yet!
Thanks for the compliment on my blog, so glad it has been useful for you. Makes me feel good that I'm accomplishing my objective with it, which was to help others!
Brandy
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sauerkraut
- Posts: 573
- Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:57 pm
- Location: Germany
Hi all!
Just checking back in after my short England holiday. Despite expander I had a great time, though I was a bit disappointed with myself that I couldn't quite brave eating fish 'n' chips. I managed most other things though!
I saw my ortho again today and he was talking about removing the expander and fitting braces next February, "or perhaps March". So, just as I predicted, the length of time I have to wear this thing is creeping up from "about 3 months" to "well, 4 would be better" to what now looks like 5 or even 6. It's only what I expected though and I can live with it.
How's everyone else doing?
Michelle, how are the chapped lips? I suffered with that for a week or so after the op but fortunately it's cleared up now. Hope you're improving too. And how are you getting on with the spacers?
crazyb, hope you get your sarpe date fixed up ok. I'd agree with michelle that you'll probably want a week off college. It depends how much surgery takes it out of you generally, really. I was still getting very tired some 3 weeks post-op but I tend towards excessive tiredness anyway. An afternoon nap does wonders if you can possibly manage it!
Ashley, welcome to the club and glad you could persuade your ortho to delay putting in the RPE. You may have seen on here that I had the opposite dilemma and folks on here were advising me to try & bring forward having it fitted! In the end it wasn't fixed in until the op itself but I didn't have any problems with that. I can see the argument for getting used to it for a few days beforehand, but several months before seems a bit over the top.
Ward, congratulations on being rid of the expander. That must be a great feeling of freedom.
All the best to all the other SARPE folks, too. It's brilliant coming on here and seeing that other people across the world are going through the same things and supporting each other. I don't personally know a single adult braces wearer and have not noticed any (either in Germany or in England) even though I look out for it now. So it's good to come on here and see I'm not actually completely alone!
Just checking back in after my short England holiday. Despite expander I had a great time, though I was a bit disappointed with myself that I couldn't quite brave eating fish 'n' chips. I managed most other things though!
I saw my ortho again today and he was talking about removing the expander and fitting braces next February, "or perhaps March". So, just as I predicted, the length of time I have to wear this thing is creeping up from "about 3 months" to "well, 4 would be better" to what now looks like 5 or even 6. It's only what I expected though and I can live with it.
How's everyone else doing?
Michelle, how are the chapped lips? I suffered with that for a week or so after the op but fortunately it's cleared up now. Hope you're improving too. And how are you getting on with the spacers?
crazyb, hope you get your sarpe date fixed up ok. I'd agree with michelle that you'll probably want a week off college. It depends how much surgery takes it out of you generally, really. I was still getting very tired some 3 weeks post-op but I tend towards excessive tiredness anyway. An afternoon nap does wonders if you can possibly manage it!
Ashley, welcome to the club and glad you could persuade your ortho to delay putting in the RPE. You may have seen on here that I had the opposite dilemma and folks on here were advising me to try & bring forward having it fitted! In the end it wasn't fixed in until the op itself but I didn't have any problems with that. I can see the argument for getting used to it for a few days beforehand, but several months before seems a bit over the top.
Ward, congratulations on being rid of the expander. That must be a great feeling of freedom.
All the best to all the other SARPE folks, too. It's brilliant coming on here and seeing that other people across the world are going through the same things and supporting each other. I don't personally know a single adult braces wearer and have not noticed any (either in Germany or in England) even though I look out for it now. So it's good to come on here and see I'm not actually completely alone!