Metal Mouth Message Board

Hello,

A little of my dental backstory.
I'm currently about a month short of my 35th birthday.

I've had dental issues since I was a teenager, when I was 14 I saw an orthodontist and the initial treatment involved the fitting of what I now know as a palate expander. The fitting was really scary, almost a feeling of claustrophobia, I had the orthodontist remove it and never went back!
Fast forward a few years and i'd become more and more uncomfortable with my teeth/smile. I was 21 or 22 and saw a different orthodontist, this was the first time surgery was ever presented to me. After the consultation, I was mortified that they suggested breaking my upper jaw and again never returned...
Fast forward again, I was 29, had some changes in my life, found myself to be single and my teeth were not only getting worse, but also I became more self conscious about them. I saw another Orthodontist, who, not surprisingly suggested jaw surgery, this time I took things a step further and had a consultation with a oral surgeon. Again.... the thought of surgery and being in my 30s with braces was too much for me.

To be honest in the back of my mind since I was a teenager I'd had what I now believe to be a stupid idea, that dental medicine would advance to a point where new/fake teeth/smile would be something done in one surgery, and be better than natural teeth/smile.

I'm now 34 and my teeth have begun to shift even more, and it has begun effecting my speech because my tongue would be obstructed by one of my teeth. This past july I mentally decided to just go for it...
I had my SARPE surgery performed this past Monday, i'm on my 2nd day of turning the key. Although i'm still intimidated by the whole process, feel positive about the decision to go forward..

One thing that has surprised me, and reconfirmed how silly my idea of some sort of easy dental fix, is the number of friends who had had teeth capped, implanted or other quick fixes been telling my how they wish they still had their own natural teeth.

I'm enjoying reading the forum, thanks to all those who contribute.

I'm on my 3rd day of turning the key, and have noticed a little clicking sound sensation from the area where the expander is anchored in the back right. Is this type of thing common or unusual?
The particular tooth in question had a root canal done long ago, and is some sort of composite crown/filling, being a little overly paranoid has me wondering if its not tough enough to withstand the expansion?

My uneducated opinion is that if you can't feel the expander wiggling, I wouldn't worry about it. I have a TPA and every now and then, one of the molars it's connected to clicks around a bit. It lasts a few days and then stops. It's hard to tell if it's actually the metal band around the tooth clicking, or the tooth itself. Those RPEs are cemented in there good, so I wouldn't be too paranoid.

How's your swelling? I had SARPE last December and took photos of myself everyday. It's funny to look back at them. I thought the swelling went away quickly but when I look now, I can see it took about a month. For awhile I thought I'd have a double chin forever.

Looks like I was worried/concerned/paranoid for nothing. The teeth and expander are in good shape, and the expander is doing its job.

Swelling isn't significant anymore, but still present, I think your right it may take a few more weeks to completely subside.

I met with Oral surgeon's staff today for a follow up exam, its been 9 days since surgery.

How long are more people on a blenderized diet, this is the toughest part of the process so far.

Not too long and you'll be back to mushy foods.

I had my surgery December 19 and by early/mid January, I could eat soft foods. I think at times I forced myself to eat something even if my palate ached afterwards, because I was running low on patience with the mush!

Glad to hear everything is going well for you post-SARPE. Hang in there!!

It's been 25 days since my sarpe surgery, I've had follow ups with my orthodontist and oral surgeon, everything seems to be healing fine.

I've turned the key for the final time, and am looking forward to things solidifying and getting back to being able to run,jump and be more physically active.

I have a significantly deviated septum on my left side, a benefit from the sarpe has provided more ability to breathe through that restricted side.

Update, june 15 2015, had my pallet expander removed, july 29th 2016 had my braces removed.
It's a new world, not having teeth/smile that's embarrassing is a new experience.