Looks like I'll be turning this stupid thing forever!

Message

#1 Post by **badbite** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 4:07 pm

I saw the ortho today. I am only on turn 12 of this stupid expander. He only wants me to turn once a day then come back in two weeks. I'll probably have to turn for antoher week after that. I am not happy today.

And my teeth that are hurting ----He said they look good. If they still hurt by Monday, I'll call my regular Dentist to get an xray or something.

#2 Post by **sweetums85** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:30 pm

hey you will be fine, keep positive.. the reason your mouth will be sore is because it is slowly moving.. I had to turn mine for 1.5 months only because i wasn't turning it right the first time.. so i had to do it longer.. I had the plate in for 4 months and I got it off last week.. it takes a while to adjust to eating etc but you will get used to it you shoudn't need x-rays or anything. best of luck!

#3 Post by **crazybeautiful** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:29 am

I had to turn for 4 weeks, twice a day- that's a lot of turns! It'a annoying, but you always find someone who had it worse than you did

(Not to demean your feelings at this point, by the way) but I think you'll find that after a while, the annoyance will pass. I was here moaning all the time; the irritation peaks, but then you will just get over it and it won't bother you so much.
Now, I'm still counting the days until it is removed, but I don't hate it as much as I did.
Me and my expander have reconciled

#4 Post by **phil** » Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:42 pm

I turned 24 times--6mm. According to the orthodontist, they overexpanded by 30% in anticipation of relapse. Evidently I DIDN'T, because my surgeon tells me that they OVERexpanded me a little!

#5 Post by **badbite** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:08 am

I think I'll have to turn about 40 times. I am on turn 14. That means I'll be truning for over five weeks. Won't the jaw be healing by that time? Has anyone else been told to only turn once a day? I am wondering why he told me that. He is a conservatie Ortho though.

Phil, I think relapse can happen even a few years after the surgery. I read that on another board somewhere. So I wouln'e worry about the overexpansion.

I have a major toothache in my LOWER jaw. I think it may be slightly better. It did wake me up again last night, but I was able to go back to sleep without taking the hydrocodone. I don't see how it could be from clenching (although I do so majorly), because the teeth that hurt are part of my open bite.

The good news is that I managed to eat a hot dog last night! I know it isn't the healthiest thing, but I couldn't take it anymore and forced it down.

#6 Post by **science teacher** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:54 pm

I turned 1 time once a day for 5 weeks. I had to keep going back to recheck. I expanded 8.5mm. Another person here, Jenn, had to go back and rexpand after 2 months. I promise it will end.

Kim

#7 Post by **sauerkraut** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 3:29 am

I expanded by the speedo method of turning 4 times a day for 10 days, or something silly like that. My ortho told me that was unusual but the OS wanted it like that for some reason. At the end of the day you don't gain anything though, because the bone still has to regrow and everything has to stabilise. In fact I read somewhere that it's better to take it slowly because the re-growth can keep pace better, and people who've expanded very rapidly [like me] can even end up needing the RPE in for longer!

Hang in there, you'll get there in the end!

P.S. Hope the toothache is getting better. Can they X-Ray with the expander in? Won't all the metal distort the picture? (Let's hope it won't be necessary anyway.)

#8 Post by **badbite** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 5:50 am

Meryaten, That maks sense thanks. It just seems so slow.

Everyone else, thanks I feel a bit better now.

I do have a new problem though. My band on one of the teeth the expander is on, is becoming loose on the inside of my tooth. I am assuming this is not good. It pushes into my gums when I "try" to chew. Should I call the ortho? They are, of course, closed until Monday. I just didn't want to page the ortho if you all thought it is not an emergency.

Oh and the xray would only be for the bottom teeth (which are still giving me trouble).

#9 Post by **badbite** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 12:09 pm

Well, I called him. He said, "Oh -that is a problem. Baby that tooth and call me if it gets worse." Well that did not comfort me. He said it could be more tramatic to to my teeth to remove the appliance than to just try and hang in there. He said he'll look at it on my next appointment (two weeks from now).

So now my sentence is "no chewing" with that tooth. How can I not chew on that tooth until this thing is removed? I will be extremely disappointed if they is decay under that band.

I guess I am on the Slim Fast diet. I am down about 10 pounds so far, but wouldn't mind losing 10 more.

Okay, I really am usually an optimistic, happy person but right now I am worried about my teeth.