SARPE Surgery

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#151 Post by **katemm06** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 1:05 pm

Like Joplin and DM, I also did not have pain with turning. I found the turning process to be no big deal. It was only the first week of turning that I felt burning afterwards between my two front teeth which was annoying but that's because my jaw was a little bit overstretched.

Good luck with the expander process and I'm glad to hear your doing well!

#152 Post by **decisionmade** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 5:05 am

Hi tina..i give an almost day to day account of my experience in "my story" here on achwired..although all of our experiences seem to be different there are some common threads..tomorrow is my first adjustment..yahooo!

#153 Post by **RachelP** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 7:17 am

So you all were right - the turning process has not been bad at all. Today marks the 1/2 way mark for me. I have to make 28 turns, and tonight I will make # 14.

I wonder if anyone else tried to use the braces wax to fill in the gap made my the expansion. I started experimenting with it this morning, and am really pleased with how it looks. I'm not trying to kid anyone here and say that it looks like an actual tooth - but I think it looks alot better than the stark contrast made by the growing gap. I wondered if anyone else used this method - and what were your likes/dislikes. Did you have to take it out to eat and drink?

Hope you are all doing well!!!

#154 Post by **joplin** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 7:42 am

Rachel, glad to hear the turning process is going smoothly for you!
"To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn..."

#155 Post by **decisionmade** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 12:58 pm

joplin your post made me smile

Rachel I never thought of using wax to fill it in.. hope it works for you

I had to do the same # of turns as you..you may feel some pain as the space grows..more of a burning or stinging..not tfrom the actual turning from tissue growth..I found my painkillers helpful at those times..as well as holding some ice on the area...but just keep it up and time will pass..Ii just got alll choked up wrirting this..so unbelievable that I got through all of that and you will too..

#156 Post by **rda_79** » Wed Nov 23, 2005 6:13 am

I just had my SARPE on Moday, it isnt as bad as i thought it would be at all. I was in the hosptial 1 night, and i havent had to much swelling but i havee been iceing tons, im not i to much pain either! the hasrdest part is the not blowing your nose, i feel i totally need to. how long do you sleep elevated?? i have a space already from just eh surgery i think i start to turn 2 x a day on sat. i hope that wont hurt. well i think i need to go and get some water my mouth is so dry.
have a good day everyone

#157 Post by **tina_14** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 10:35 pm

Hi everyone,
rda, its great to hear that you are doing fine. Ive been worring sooo much about this surgery. I go for mine tomorrow morning so Im trying to delay going to bed so that I dont have to get up and go to the hospital haha. I hope everything goes well. Im sure it will, im just really scared...=((((

anyways, ill keep you all updated on how it went and whatnot.
Thanks for being there everyone! it helps alot.

Tina

#158 Post by **decisionmade** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 5:27 am

Thinking of you tina..I'm sure all will go well..report back when you are up to it and good luck!!
DM

#159 Post by **joplin** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 5:36 am

Sending some positive vibrations your way, Tina!

#160 Post by **RachelP** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:23 am

Hey all!
I'm usually pretty technologically savvy - but for the life of me I cannot figure out how you guys got a picture on your posts. I was going to put a before picture on, and then another one at full expansion for everyone to see - but apparently my brain isn't functioning right now because i can't figure out how to do it. Help....

Also - quick update - My teeth are starting to move back together. My mom came up with this ingenious idea of how to measure the progress. We took a stack of index cards, and saw how many I could fit in the space right after I finished expanding (that was on Nov 25, and the number of cards at that time was 32). So - now every couple days I see if all the cards still fit, and if not, then I remove some and that's how I know that my teeth are moving. So far I have removed 6 cards! I know it is a baby step - but it makes me happy.

OK - if someone lets me know how to add a picture I will!

Thanks everybody for all the support! And TINA and RDA...How are you guys? I've been watching, but I didn't see any more posts.

#161 Post by **rda_79** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:44 am

well it is almost 2 weeks since surgery!!! My gap is huge, i think living with the gap is the worst part of this whole thing. i feel like everyone stares at me. i think i have 5 more turns to go, and i think my spaces is at 4mm now. hope Tina your surgery went well i know you will do just fine!

#162 Post by **RachelP** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:57 am

RDA,

Dental wax is your new best friend. I use it to cover up my gap, and everyone tells me it makes a huge difference. I just take a stick or half a stick and hold it in my mouth for a couple seconds to warm it up so it gets soft, and then I mash it up and push it into the space. Then I smooth it out over the two front teeth, and smooth it out some in behind the teeth too. It feels funny at first, but after it has been in for about 15min, it shapes itself alittle more (I guess due to the warmth of your mouth, and your lips and tongue pressing on it), and it feels less weird. When you are shaping it with your fingers, make sure they are moist or else the dryness of your fingers pulls the wax apart.

i found that people don't even give a second look when I have it in. I talked to people who didn't even know I had already had the surgery, and they didn't say "hey- what's in your mouth?" Don't get me wrong - when you REALLY look at it, it doesn't look like a tooth - but from a normal distance (such as if you are having a conversation with someone), it does an excellent job of disguising the gap.

Make sure you get the wax warm and soft though - one morning I tried to just shape it in the gap without warming it up, and my teeth started bleeding. It's not very pliable if you don't warm it up, and your teeth are so sensitive right now, you wouldn't want to cause damage to them.

I know it sounds silly - i thought that too when I heard about it - but trust me - try it. It makes me feel so much more confident and comfortable.

Good Luck!!!

#163 Post by **rda_79** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:46 pm

RachelP

hey thanks im going to try the wax today!! How big did your space get?
Did you have your braces on when you had the surgery? I do. So how long after surgery did they start to close in your gap?

#164 Post by **RachelP** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:14 pm

My space was a big one - 7mm. Hopefully someone will let me know how to post pictures, and i will. I did not have braces on because I am going to get Invisalign when I get my expander out. So - I have to just wait out the gap and let it close on its own. But, DM did it without braces and thought it was fine. I'm not sure if anyone else had their braces on during the surgery - but hopefully if someone has more info about that then they will respond and let you know.

The wax trick might be a little tougher for you - I didn't have to work around brackets - but I think everyone has to find their own way to do it. I would definitely give it a try, and just adapt what I said to your needs.

Good Luck!!!

#165 Post by **decisionmade** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 4:03 pm

Hi all! I can't believe how many of us have gone through this or are now..when I began this adventure..I couldn't find a soul to chat with and now there is so much suport..really wonderful!

As Rachel said..my space was left to close up on its own...i'd have to look back on my old posts under "my story" for exact dates but I think it was three weeks after stopping the turning that my teeth began to move together and it happened steadily after that....I was definately mislead by my os and ortho.."the space will fill in fairly quickly"-- well apparently we had a different definition of "fairly quickly"..lol...but everything really did turn out wonderfully!..I have a little over a month left with this **** expander ..oh wow i just got teary writing that...a month seems so little now...

Oh and Rachel, I use imageshack.us to post photos and it works great..just go to the site and it should lead you through it..click on the browse button to find your pic on your computer then i think you click on "host it" then highlight the address and cut and paste it on to your archwired message.....

Have a great weekend!!

Metal Mouth Message Board

SARPE Surgery

just had SARPE on monday