SARPE Surgery

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#1156 Post by **abonelli** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:50 am

hey guys :]
everything is going well, but I have a quick question my front teeth have been feeling like they are kinda sorta moving back together, is this normal? My friends have said that it looks like the gap might be getting a little smaller, and I kind of see it too! Is this possible, or am I just wanting it to get smaller so I'm imagining it, and my friends are just being nice?

#1157 Post by **sauerkraut** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 9:55 am

crazybeautiful wrote:I don't have anything new to say

And there was me thinking you were posting because you'd finally solved the mystery of the blobs

Abonelli, yes, it's possible your front teeth are moving back together. Your teeth can wander all over the place at this stage! My gap closed completely before I got braces, and in fact my front teeth almost started overlapping again, which had me worried for a while.

Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:09 am

Sorry for misleading you!

I've had to change my next app. because I couldn't make it (30th April) and the next possible time she could fit me in was 20th May, so I won't be closer to knowing until then. I mean they don't seem to be doing much anyway, so who knows!

abonelli- ditto what sauerkraut said. If they feel like they are moving they probably are, but because they move so slowly you probably won't fully know until there is a big difference an the gap is pretty much gone. And same as sauerkraut, my gap closed long before I got my braces, and pretty quickly after I stopped expanding

#1159 Post by **chicago29** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:25 am

abonneli...I will pile on to make you feel better. My gap closed completely on the bottom, and on the top after expansion it was HUGE (about 10mm). I am a bit past 2 months post-op and the top is almost closed. I'd say the gap now is about 2mm at the most and not very noticeable.

So yep, this is normal. I was even told by my Orthodontist that it is good if things move back together because it shows your bone is healing. Your teeth won't move where there is no bone!

#1160 Post by **abonelli** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 10:29 am

Ah that's awesome! I really just jumped out of my chair and got all happy...my coworkers looked at me like I was crazy. It's okay though! I'm just really working towards having it closed for prom which is on June 25th...my ortho & oral surgeon said it is deff possible and if there is still a gap they will come up with some kind of fake tooth or something to fill the gap depending on how big it is. Right now my gap is roughly 8.5 mm, but it was about 10 mm so I'm really content right now.

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#1161 Post by **dabrit** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 12:13 am

Hey everyone, I'm so glad that there is a forum for this stuff because since having my SARPE surgery on tuesday ( April 7th) I've been a little concerned. I was told going in that that were would likely be some swelling and some nunbness that can go on for months sometimes permanent. However although the swelling looks like it has gone down on the outside quite a bit, it doesn't feel like it especially on the leftside of my face, it feels like there is immense pressure on the left side, and my leftside of my lip, nose and cheek is numb, is this normal??? I don't have near as much pressure or numbness on the rightside?? Also I can barely open my mouth, or close it for that matter. It hurts just to try and put a spoon in my mouth, and get this pressure pain in my upper jaw joint on the leftside, almost as if it were bruised?? Is all this normal?? I was hoping to feel much better by now, I had to email my work and tell them that I would need longer than a week to recover. Also how long are you supposed to ice for?? And do you switch to heat packs after a while?? Also ( sorry this has been longwinded), is it better to use ibuprofen for its inflamation treating properties over tylenol 3s for pain and disconfort?? Any help would be much appreciated, I'm starting to feel like I'm gonna be like this forever.

#1162 Post by **sauerkraut** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:48 am

hi dabrit, and welcome

Hopefully someone with more recent experience will come along to reassure you in a bit, as I'm starting to get a bit forgetful about the details (my op was 18 months ago). What you're describing doesn't sound that unusual to me, though. Your jaw has been seriously mistreated, after all

. But, as ever, if you're really concerned about something then don't hesitate to give your ortho or OS a call.

Have you started expanding already? That can create a very strong feeling of pressure, although for me it was more across the width of my head rather than just one-sided. And as you've been told, numbness and swelling can go on for weeks if not months.

I think the received wisdom is to use ice for the first 48 hours and then switch to heat. To be honest I used ice for longer and didn't bother much with heat pads as they didn't do much for me. Best thing is to try it and see if it helps.

There was an interesting discussion on here once about ibuprofen. I'm not much use with links but I'll try:

viewtopic.php?t=27185&highlight=ibuprofen

Initially I used some liquid painkiller they supplied at the hospital which I think was codeine based, but after that if I needed painkillers I used ibuprofen with no ill effects (as far as I know

) and my ortho had no objections to it.

Sorry if those thoughts are all a bit random, but I hope it helps a bit! The first week or two can be pretty grim, but it does get better, honest!

Do report back and let us know how you're getting on

#1163 Post by **dabrit** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 11:16 am

sauerkraut wrote:hi dabrit, and welcome

Hopefully someone with more recent experience will come along to reassure you in a bit, as I'm starting to get a bit forgetful about the details (my op was 18 months ago). What you're describing doesn't sound that unusual to me, though. Your jaw has been seriously mistreated, after all . But, as ever, if you're really concerned about something then don't hesitate to give your ortho or OS a call.

Have you started expanding already? That can create a very strong feeling of pressure, although for me it was more across the width of my head rather than just one-sided. And as you've been told, numbness and swelling can go on for weeks if not months.

I think the received wisdom is to use ice for the first 48 hours and then switch to heat. To be honest I used ice for longer and didn't bother much with heat pads as they didn't do much for me. Best thing is to try it and see if it helps.

There was an interesting discussion on here once about ibuprofen. I'm not much use with links but I'll try:

viewtopic.php?t=27185&highlight=ibuprofen

Initially I used some liquid painkiller they supplied at the hospital which I think was codeine based, but after that if I needed painkillers I used ibuprofen with no ill effects (as far as I know ) and my ortho had no objections to it.

Sorry if those thoughts are all a bit random, but I hope it helps a bit! The first week or two can be pretty grim, but it does get better, honest!

Do report back and let us know how you're getting on

Thanks for your input, I've been getting really frustrated recently as I thought that would have been feeling better by now, and it wasn't untill yesterday that my surgeons office called, and said that I probably should have been using heat after the first 48 hours. I will check out the link about the ibuprofen. I go see the Surgeon for the first time today since the operation. I haven't yet started cranking the device yet, and my mouth seems to swollen to get my hand in there and do it. The surgeon did however turn it a couple of times during the surgeory, so maybe this is related to the pressure, however like I said it seems to be more on the leftside over my sinus cavity, I wondering whether due to the fact that I didin't really have much nose bleeds, that there is still a bunch of fluid that needs to drain, because it feels much like when I had a absess tooth a while back.

#1164 Post by **shari** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 12:55 pm

dabrit - I remember feeling pain and pressure after the surgery, it was almost a full week before I started feeling any better. Hang in there...it does get better

I didn't start expanding til 1 full week after the surgery. Hope you start feeling better soon!

I had an appt with my periodontist today and I'm happy to report my gums are in excellent shape. It's nice to know all that flossing and brushing has been worth it.

Shari

#1165 Post by **dabrit** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:17 pm

shari wrote:dabrit - I remember feeling pain and pressure after the surgery, it was almost a full week before I started feeling any better. Hang in there...it does get better I didn't start expanding til 1 full week after the surgery. Hope you start feeling better soon!

I had an appt with my periodontist today and I'm happy to report my gums are in excellent shape. It's nice to know all that flossing and brushing has been worth it.

Shari

Thanks Shari, nice to hear things are progressing nicely for you. I unfortuantely I can barely open my mouth enough to brush them in fact I can't touch back back molars without getting a really strong pain in the leftside of my jaw. So flossing for now if out of the question. I can't even shave right now, because I can't really feel the leftside of my face, and I'm worried I'm gonna cut myself with my razor. I'm considering going to buy a electric shaver, even though I've always sworn against it in the past!! I've been using heat packs to help combat the swelling and it doesn't really seem to be working that much, maybe because I started doing it to late. I wasn't told untill yester day that i was supposed to switch to heat after 48 hours!!! Ah well hopefully the numbness and swelling goes away, so I can eventually sound normal again!

#1166 Post by **shari** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:26 am

dabrit I did not go near floss until I was done expanding (over a month post op) I also bought a baby tooth brush, the really small ones with the soft bristles, there was no way my regular brush would fit in my mouth. My surgeon also allowed warm water and salt rinses 3 times a day. I did not have to deal with shaving though

Some people find this kind of surgery easy...and some of us not so easy.

#1167 Post by **abonelli** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 9:06 am

Dabrit:
I had my surgery almost exactly a month before you (mine was March 6th). After about 4 days I became really concerned too, my swelling was ridiculous, I'm not exaggerating when I say I looked like a balloon. I could barely open my mouth, or for that matter move my mouth. I remember even spitting out the mouth wash was a hassle, I kind of just let the mouth wash fall out of my mouth as disgusting as that sounds. I didn't even try to brush until a week after, and when I did I got a small and really soft bristle brush. My lip, nose, and cheeks were also numb for a while and the felt extremely large. Everything got progressively better after the 7th day for me when I began expanding. I was out of school for 6 school days, or 11 normal days. I iced for almost a week and a half and the swelling was almost all gone by two weeks...I still have some swelling that is barely noticeable (my oral surgeon pointed it out). For the pain my doctor originally gave me oxycodene, but that made me crazy sick and dizzy it was horrible. So he switched me to hydrocdone which was a lot better and definitely took away the pain without dizziness. Today my gums are still numb, I can't feel them at all. I know it was really rough, and I thought too I would be like that forever, but I slowly got better and I know you will too. Just hold your head high!

#1168 Post by **dabrit** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 2:51 pm

abonelli wrote:Dabrit:
I had my surgery almost exactly a month before you (mine was March 6th). After about 4 days I became really concerned too, my swelling was ridiculous, I'm not exaggerating when I say I looked like a balloon. I could barely open my mouth, or for that matter move my mouth. I remember even spitting out the mouth wash was a hassle, I kind of just let the mouth wash fall out of my mouth as disgusting as that sounds. I didn't even try to brush until a week after, and when I did I got a small and really soft bristle brush. My lip, nose, and cheeks were also numb for a while and the felt extremely large. Everything got progressively better after the 7th day for me when I began expanding. I was out of school for 6 school days, or 11 normal days. I iced for almost a week and a half and the swelling was almost all gone by two weeks...I still have some swelling that is barely noticeable (my oral surgeon pointed it out). For the pain my doctor originally gave me oxycodene, but that made me crazy sick and dizzy it was horrible. So he switched me to hydrocdone which was a lot better and definitely took away the pain without dizziness. Today my gums are still numb, I can't feel them at all. I know it was really rough, and I thought too I would be like that forever, but I slowly got better and I know you will too. Just hold your head high!

Thanks very much for your support, I actually believe today I'm a little better as I'm starting to be able to feel the leftside of my nose.

#1169 Post by **sauerkraut** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:51 am

Glad you're starting to feel a bit better, Dabrit.

How's everyone else doing?

I've nothing exciting to report but thought I'd bump this up again so SARPE newbies can find it more easily. (Hope you made it over here OK, bklynheat68

)

#1170 Post by **dabrit** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 3:32 pm

sauerkraut wrote:Glad you're starting to feel a bit better, Dabrit.

How's everyone else doing?

I've nothing exciting to report but thought I'd bump this up again so SARPE newbies can find it more easily. (Hope you made it over here OK, bklynheat68 )

Well, although I've improved, I'm getting a little frustrated with the left side of my face, my sinus is still filled with something, almost all the way to my left eye, and it twitches and itches, and throbs every once in a while, is this normal??

Also I've noticed since the op, that when I smile you can't see my teeth anymore, is this due to the swelling or the stitches?? Will it go away?? I hope so.

I brought up the ibuprofen thing with the surgeon when I was there last, and he says there isn't enough evidence to support it being harmfull in healing, he said he tells all his patients to use it, and hasn't had any problems??

Anyways I guess I should be happy I've improved since last week, I just didn't expect to be swollen this long, I knew my teeth would be numb but not my lip/ leftside of my face.

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