Decisionmade's (D.M's) story:summer '07 update

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#16 Post by **decisionmade** » Sat Aug 06, 2005 8:05 am

-and today-8 days into stabilization

#17 Post by **Doug** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 1:51 pm

Big changes already!
Congratulations for getting the process started - that's the hardest part.
Remember to keep taking those photos on a regular basis, looking back at your progress photos is a good motivator as the process continues.

Best of luck in the rest of your treatment. I know you will be happy with the end result!

#18 Post by **stargirl** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 4:09 pm

Wow! The expander really worked to widen your palate! That's a pretty big gap. Have you noticed it closing up at all?

The widest my gap ever got was about this - > || big! Quite small really.

How long until you get braced?

#19 Post by **decisionmade** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 5:42 pm

Thanks Doug and stargirl for your encouraging words:) I need them...The most frusturating thing for me right now is having to explain..yada yada yada..when someone looks at me funny..but still i'd rather address it then just have them look at me funny

..As for closing up..not yet..Its been one week and 3 days and I was told it could take "a few" weeks.. oh and my ortho just informed me that in adults the space sometimes doesn't go completely away..I would have had the surgery anyway but just wish I had been more prepared for that. My sis says my face looks different..different "good" or different "bad"..i'm not really sure..she says fuller..I wonder if it is possible I have lingering swelling even after all this time...Doug I checked out your pics and your transformation is amazing..SO encouraging to me!..and yes I'm crazy with my digital camera..I'll be documenting the whole process..I will be braced on September 29( just in time for halloween...oooh scary!)..in the meantime I'm having a molar extraction from the bottom..which doesn't concern me in the leat compared to what I've already been through...Ah well, It will all be worth it

#20 Post by **joplin** » Sun Aug 07, 2005 11:59 pm

My sis says my face looks different..different "good" or different "bad"..i'm not really sure..she says fuller..I wonder if it is possible

It's quite possible. Personally I gained cheek bones from SARPE and I'm absolutely happy about it

I used to have kind of a flat face and "sunk in" mouth that both look a lot nicer to me now. Someone at work said if she didn't know what had happened she'd bet I either had a facelift of fell in love, because I looked so different all of a sudden

A nice bonus to orthodontics, dont' you think!

#21 Post by **caryca** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 1:49 am

According to my mom, my face have changed as well- for better....i'm not sure

but she said things that i never sow...so i guess it's better

#22 Post by **decisionmade** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 4:59 am

nice to hear about those positive changes...At my initial surgical consultation the dr said that when all is done including orthodontics...My chin may seem to protrude more..(I already have a big chin) so he talked a little bit about chin reduction surgery..but of course I will only consider that 2+ years from now when I have the final result and see how much it bothers me...Joplin did your space from sarpe fill in right away? i'm almost at 2 weeks and nothing..

thanks for your input

#23 Post by **joplin** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 5:55 am

My gap closed up in 3 weeks. It took as long to close as it took to be created: I turned the expander key for 3 weeks.
My gap wasn't very big though. You can check it out at http://www.geocities.com/jopliini/photos.html
Now that I'm braced there is a sizeable gap between my left central and lateral incisors instead

Oh well, I guess we'll see all kinds of wandering teeth before all is said and done.

By looking at your strong white teeth I bet your smile will be nothing short of gorgeus!

#24 Post by **decisionmade** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 7:43 am

joplin, what a great way to chart your progress....I turned the expander 2 x a day for two weeks..even if it would close to what yours looked at its widest would be great..You must have much satisfaction at being braced..I can't wait for that!! thanks for the encourging words:0

#25 Post by **joplin** » Mon Aug 08, 2005 11:21 pm

Don't worry, braces will take care of that gap if it's not closed by then. From what I've experienced those front teeth move around really easy: the day the braces went on I got a new little gap between my front teeth in 8 hours!
Do you see gappy teeth everywhere now? I did while I had the gap thing going

Just never paid attention to such things before.

Oh, here's one more SARPE related link: http://www.zipcon.net/~brunt/SARPE.html
I found this one very informative and inspiring as I was starting my journey.

#26 Post by **decisionmade** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 10:02 am

no gaps anywhere else for me..probably due to my severe crowding..Drs said I'd just get the big one in front..sigh...I didn't have any luck getting to the link you provided but if you have any others that have been useful to you during your process feel free to pass them along..inspiration and information are important elements in my process right now

thanx joplin!

#27 Post by **joplin** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 11:18 pm

Sorry, my mistake: there was an extra dot in the end of the URL, that's why it didn't work. I fixed the URL in my previous message. Now try again, without the . after the .htlm

This is no longer news for you, but it could be useful to someone else reading this thread:
http://www.geocities.com/orthognathicin ... sarpe.html

This Yahoo group was also useful for getting answers from other people who had been through the same thing:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/or ... rysupport/

#28 Post by **decisionmade** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 4:20 am

Those are all excellant resources...Thank you!

#29 Post by **decisionmade** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:26 pm

At last I think that space is filling in maybe just the littlest bit..but I'll take it..

my smile looks so big now..

#30 Post by **decisionmade** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 10:52 am

The gap is filling in but slowly...and I can feel it happening..it feels similar but maybe worse to when I had spacers for the first time. I would say since about the 2 week mark after stopping expansion I've been experiencing clenching,grinding, teeth feeling loose and flossing has become the easiest thing ever..I always hated flossing because of my painfully crowded teeth but now its so easy I do it every time I brush...I know all this discomfort is due to my teeth moving into the newly created expansion space ..so its a good thing because I'm tired of looking weird-- but the pain (and yes i think it just about crosses the line from discomfort to pain)is a drag....29 days til my one extraction..a week later spacers for the third time and a week later banding..slowly but surely I'm getting threre but just feel pretty crummy right now...and I look forward to setting my expander on the railroad track in 5 mos.!

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Decisionmade's (D.M's) story:summer '07 update

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