One of the best parts of my first post - op was my surgeon picking my nose clean. Sounds gross but it's true.
Congrats on the success and best wishes for your recovery.
SARPE & MSDO on 2/4/09
Moderator: bbsadmin
I had my first post-op appointment today and it went very well. I got that dried blood out of my nostrils so that helped a lot. I can now breathe decently out of my nose.
We took two x-rays to review the surgical cuts and I think my OS was in awe of himself. He said they couldn't be ANY better. This was especially difficult on the bottom due to my extreme crowding. How he avoided the incisor roots I will never know. Now, the bone still needs to form in correctly before we can say 100% success, but that hopefully won't be an issue. If it is, I'm looking at a minor bone graft as opposed to root canals and/or extractions of the incisors and implants. One day I will try and get a good picture up here just to show you how crowded my lower arch was. My 4 front incisors were literally compacted and mashed in front of each other.
We started turning the devices, so now I'm on my way to the gaps on both the top and bottom arches!!! I'm excited because this is progress! I'll be self-conscious about those gaps but I'll get over it and know that by this summer they will be closed up.
So, all in all a great appointment. I continue to heal (although the bruising is still REALLY ugly) and there is still some swelling that will linger another week or two, but other than that I have no complaints at this point. Let's hope it stays that way!!
We took two x-rays to review the surgical cuts and I think my OS was in awe of himself. He said they couldn't be ANY better. This was especially difficult on the bottom due to my extreme crowding. How he avoided the incisor roots I will never know. Now, the bone still needs to form in correctly before we can say 100% success, but that hopefully won't be an issue. If it is, I'm looking at a minor bone graft as opposed to root canals and/or extractions of the incisors and implants. One day I will try and get a good picture up here just to show you how crowded my lower arch was. My 4 front incisors were literally compacted and mashed in front of each other.
We started turning the devices, so now I'm on my way to the gaps on both the top and bottom arches!!! I'm excited because this is progress! I'll be self-conscious about those gaps but I'll get over it and know that by this summer they will be closed up.
So, all in all a great appointment. I continue to heal (although the bruising is still REALLY ugly) and there is still some swelling that will linger another week or two, but other than that I have no complaints at this point. Let's hope it stays that way!!
Great to hear that your surgery was such a success! My ortho was also impressed with how perfect the surgeon was able to reposition bones. It's a good feeling to know that you didn't go through this ordeal for nothing isn't it?? 
The days will really start to fly by now that you're through the worst of it. Happy healing!!!
The days will really start to fly by now that you're through the worst of it. Happy healing!!!
Any news to report?
Any news to report on your situation?
Things are progressing nicely. I am done expanding on the top and will finish expanding on the bottom on Monday. We definitely now have enough space to align everything.
At this point, I'm headed to the stabilization phase so the bones can begin to fuse. I should be in braces sometime in late March or early April, and have a much better idea at that point if the procedures were completely successful.
At this point, I'm headed to the stabilization phase so the bones can begin to fuse. I should be in braces sometime in late March or early April, and have a much better idea at that point if the procedures were completely successful.
Just a quick update...Both expansions are complete, and we are going to let the bones and everything heal for 2 months before braces go on. I have a banding date of May 4 for the top. We're not quite sure if we'll do the bottom teeth then or wait a bit longer. The bone takes longer to heal and reform on the bottom, especially since I already had some bone loss on the lower jaw.
As for the gaps, they've pretty much filled in on their own. That's good because it is a sign that the bone is forming correctly and the teeth naturally follow that growth. Now, don't get me wrong my teeth are far from aligned and straight, but it is nice to not have such noticeable gaps! The braces will of course get things lined up.
So, overall I think things are going well.
Supo: I know you're the one worried about gum recession, but honestly I think you should not be so worried about that. No matter what happens, your gums can be fixed via grafts when your treatment is complete. I'm not saying that is going to be cheap or pleasant, but it is a far cry from the pains of surgery, and is not, in my opinion, a reason against surgery. If this is a big concern for you, as I've said before you should simply involve a periodontist with your treatment plan and see them every 3 to 6 months.
As for the gaps, they've pretty much filled in on their own. That's good because it is a sign that the bone is forming correctly and the teeth naturally follow that growth. Now, don't get me wrong my teeth are far from aligned and straight, but it is nice to not have such noticeable gaps! The braces will of course get things lined up.
So, overall I think things are going well.
Supo: I know you're the one worried about gum recession, but honestly I think you should not be so worried about that. No matter what happens, your gums can be fixed via grafts when your treatment is complete. I'm not saying that is going to be cheap or pleasant, but it is a far cry from the pains of surgery, and is not, in my opinion, a reason against surgery. If this is a big concern for you, as I've said before you should simply involve a periodontist with your treatment plan and see them every 3 to 6 months.
Hey Chicago.
I have a whole new respect for you after going back to your pre-surgery post. Man you make me feel like a real wimp. What I had was nothing in comparison.
I do have some information that may help explain the blood out of the eye. Ever since I was a kid I could hold my nose and blow air out of my eye. I put the theory to a test in a pool one day and I can blow air out of my eye. I have seen people on tv that can pour milk in their eye and then spray it back out. You may have had blood in your sinus and it leaked out of your eye.
I know you are eager to get your braces and I understand. I have a 8mm gap on top and it is kind of neat at the time but, I am sure that I will soon want it to be going away. The funny thing is that I have been so focused on what is going on with the top half of my mouth, that I completely didnt notice the bottom. I was amazed to see how far my teeth have moved since the 16th. It reminds me that everything is going to be fine and I am better off when I dont constantly look at what is going on.
Hang in there man. C ya.
I have a whole new respect for you after going back to your pre-surgery post. Man you make me feel like a real wimp. What I had was nothing in comparison.
I do have some information that may help explain the blood out of the eye. Ever since I was a kid I could hold my nose and blow air out of my eye. I put the theory to a test in a pool one day and I can blow air out of my eye. I have seen people on tv that can pour milk in their eye and then spray it back out. You may have had blood in your sinus and it leaked out of your eye.
I know you are eager to get your braces and I understand. I have a 8mm gap on top and it is kind of neat at the time but, I am sure that I will soon want it to be going away. The funny thing is that I have been so focused on what is going on with the top half of my mouth, that I completely didnt notice the bottom. I was amazed to see how far my teeth have moved since the 16th. It reminds me that everything is going to be fine and I am better off when I dont constantly look at what is going on.
Hang in there man. C ya.
Chicago,
I just had both uper and lower "SARPE" done on My 27th so i am 5 days post op..almost 6. This is the first post that fits my ordeal exactly...Got any good advise. I satrt expanding tomorrow morning. 1 turn top and bottom twice a day. they are shootting for a whopping 11 on both top and bottom!!! How far did you expand?
AFLeadDog
I just had both uper and lower "SARPE" done on My 27th so i am 5 days post op..almost 6. This is the first post that fits my ordeal exactly...Got any good advise. I satrt expanding tomorrow morning. 1 turn top and bottom twice a day. they are shootting for a whopping 11 on both top and bottom!!! How far did you expand?
AFLeadDog
Woo Hoo! We finally have somebody else that has had upper and lower expansion...
I responded to you via private message, but just for the benefit of future AW members that may pounce on this thread, my expansion ended up being about 8mm on top and 10mm on the bottom. So, a bit less than what you have to do, AFLeadDog...
You may find that you don't expand as much as they plan. Remember, they'll need to keep things in proportion to each other, and your orthodontist should check you out during the process to ensure it all looks good.
I don't know if I have any great advice outside of what you can get from the fine people on this message board. The best advice is always be patient, follow your doctor's instructions, and don't hesitate to ask anything on this board. We're all here to help!
I responded to you via private message, but just for the benefit of future AW members that may pounce on this thread, my expansion ended up being about 8mm on top and 10mm on the bottom. So, a bit less than what you have to do, AFLeadDog...
You may find that you don't expand as much as they plan. Remember, they'll need to keep things in proportion to each other, and your orthodontist should check you out during the process to ensure it all looks good.
I don't know if I have any great advice outside of what you can get from the fine people on this message board. The best advice is always be patient, follow your doctor's instructions, and don't hesitate to ask anything on this board. We're all here to help!
I started expanding yesterday, 1 turn on top and 1 on bottom in the morning and the same at night. I know I will be feeling weird stuff... but it feels like both my upper lip and lower lip at the incision point is being pulling apart. It feels super tight. Is this a normal sensation?
Respectfully,
AFLeadDog
AFLeadDog
Well, to be very honest you ARE pulling your jaw bones and soft tissue apart by .25mm each and every turn of the expanders! Unless it is very painful, I would say it is just part of the process.
I would agree with it being called a "tightness", and if I move my lower jaw the right way I still can feel such a "tightness" even though I'm way into the bone consolidation stage. My upper jaw has no such feelings and is pretty normal for the most part.
So, I think what you are describing is normal, however I can't say I ever experienced anything painful during expansion. Yes, it felt strange, but there was nothing ever painful about it.
If you ever feel anything that you describe as pain, I highly recommend you talk with your OS. It is always better to be safe than sorry, especially now in the stage you are at.
Keep us posted, and happy expanding!!
I would agree with it being called a "tightness", and if I move my lower jaw the right way I still can feel such a "tightness" even though I'm way into the bone consolidation stage. My upper jaw has no such feelings and is pretty normal for the most part.
So, I think what you are describing is normal, however I can't say I ever experienced anything painful during expansion. Yes, it felt strange, but there was nothing ever painful about it.
If you ever feel anything that you describe as pain, I highly recommend you talk with your OS. It is always better to be safe than sorry, especially now in the stage you are at.
Keep us posted, and happy expanding!!