Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello,
I am now wearing a full set of upper and lower brackets, preparing for some type of surgery... I do not like the initial surgical consult stating that SARPE is the best option for me. I had the Rapid Expander (medevil torture device) experience during my adolescence / teen years. Sad to say that 20 years later my upper jaw is deformed, my teeth have shifted, are misaligned and my bite is a mess (underbite is back). Yes, I did wear the retainers!

I have two second opinions lined up and hope to have some other options available... My hope is have discussions about other orthognathic surgeries that will have better long term results. I do not want to have another jaw procedure when I am in my 70's... Has anybody had orthodontic procedures that have reversed and or gotten worse since childhood????

I read a paper the other day that said a Lefort surgery can be used for expansion of up to 7mm, but beyond that, SARPE is the more stable procedure. Sorry, I don't remember the paper or where I found it. But you could try googleing "SARPE vs Leforte" and see what you come up with.


Something to keep in mind: Yes the expander sucks. But, you won't have to turn the key for as long a period of time as you probably did when you were a kid. From what I've gathered, with kids you turn the key every few days for several months? Or something along those lines? But with surgically assisted expansion, you'll probably turn once or twice a day for only a week or two, depending on how much expansion you need. (I need a lot of expansion, so I'm expanding for almost a month, but I seem to be an outlier here.) You'll still have to have the expander in for at least a few months (ballpark guess) but your surgeon might be persuaded to switch it out for a more comfortable TPA at some point. Given that, your experience as an adult may seem different than the treatment you got as a kid.

Thanks for the advice... still nervous about the whole key turning nightmare, complete with headaches, and nausea. Can't say I am ready to experience that twice in a lifetime. I will research your recomendation and see if the Laforte surgery is an option. I appreciate your input!

the procedures in sarpe and upper "jaw" surgery are pretty much the same with the exception of the user of an expander and the cutting of the pterygoid junction.

Now I am able to understand the surgical procedures better with the help of this forum... I have received two surgical opinions, one more complex than the last. I'll make my final decision during the first week of April. It amazes me how different the Maxio surgeons view the problem...