Hey Slawdawg,
Are we ever going to get another update on your progress? LOL. How are you doing? Healing going well?
Brandy
Slawdawg's Journal
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
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Sorry I haven't posted in a while...not much to report. Plus, I've been wrapping up a school year and AWANA prorgam, so I've been rather busy. I am patiently waiting to return to the ortho on June 12 to get the blessed powerchain up and running. Until then, it's just waiting on the bone to heal some more so the teeth can move and not the bone. My bite continues to change from day to day and I don't know why. I have a ton of questions I'm saving up for the next ortho appointment. The only things I can't eat well are chicken breasts and steak. Everything else is pretty much doable although some things take a little more effort than others. I also can't bite through anything since the gap between my front teeth is wider than when I started. I'm assuming that will be fixed with the next surgery, but I'll add that to my list of questions. Hope everyone else is making great progress towards the smile of your dreams. I'll check back in the next time I have something significant to report. Nice to know I've been missed, though, Brandy.
Braces: Feb 1, 2006
SARPE: April 5, 2006
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
- Location: Alaska
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Hey Slawdawg,
Glad to hear that things are moving right along for you. I'm at 3 months post SARPE today. I can honestly say that things are at about 99.5% back to normal. I have a very small patch behind my second incisor that is still not feeling 100%, but I can tell that in another day or so it will be completely healed. This totally coincides with the time line my ortho and OS gave me. They both said it takes about 3 full months for the bones to heal, and the blood supply, and nerve endings to catch up (which means how long it will take before you get all pre surgery feeling back.) I can honestly say that I feel like a real survivor now. I mean I didn't just get through it, but I have recovered and am back to my pre surgery self, with a nice big smile to prove it!
I hope things continue along for you. Keep us posted! It is very interesting to see how this procedure is different for each person.
Brandy
Glad to hear that things are moving right along for you. I'm at 3 months post SARPE today. I can honestly say that things are at about 99.5% back to normal. I have a very small patch behind my second incisor that is still not feeling 100%, but I can tell that in another day or so it will be completely healed. This totally coincides with the time line my ortho and OS gave me. They both said it takes about 3 full months for the bones to heal, and the blood supply, and nerve endings to catch up (which means how long it will take before you get all pre surgery feeling back.) I can honestly say that I feel like a real survivor now. I mean I didn't just get through it, but I have recovered and am back to my pre surgery self, with a nice big smile to prove it!
I hope things continue along for you. Keep us posted! It is very interesting to see how this procedure is different for each person.
Brandy
Well folks, little over 2 months post-SARPE and doing very well. I've been eating well and I'm beginning to get some feeling back in my upper teeth and gums. Of course, by the time they are "back to normal," the nerves will be severed again, but that's just the way things are going.
I just returned from a lovely ortho appointment. I thought they were just going to change out the archwires...we're working towards a strong rectangular wire that will provide support for the coming jaw surgery. I was in for a lovely surprise, though. I received a new, braided archwire, a beautiful powerchain to begin to close the gap in front, more hooks to attach elastics to, and two elastics to begin to close the severe open bite I have developed. Also, I was asked to get the wisdom teeth out this summer (a chore I have endure since the OS "forgot" during the SARPE surgery), so I'll be getting that taken care of next week. At least it will be over before the real busy-ness of July starts for me. I have a 6th birthday party June 23-24, leave for Jamaica June 30 and return July 9, VBS July 10 - 14, an anniversary trip to Disney July 16 - 19, and school starts back July 27! The good news is that I will hopefully be able to have surgery #2 to realign the jaws during Christmas break...Ho! Ho! Ho! And there is a slim possibility that I won't need to have it at all. We'll just have to see how far the orthodontics can take me before the final decision. Personally,, I'm OK with "close enough" to perfect if I can avoid another surgery. I'm not planning on doing any modelling any time soon and if I can just bite through a hamburger or a piece of pizza, I will be most happy. I pray all is well with the rest of the "Metal Mouth" crew and hope your smile is becoming all you would like it to be. I'll check in again soon, I promise!
I just returned from a lovely ortho appointment. I thought they were just going to change out the archwires...we're working towards a strong rectangular wire that will provide support for the coming jaw surgery. I was in for a lovely surprise, though. I received a new, braided archwire, a beautiful powerchain to begin to close the gap in front, more hooks to attach elastics to, and two elastics to begin to close the severe open bite I have developed. Also, I was asked to get the wisdom teeth out this summer (a chore I have endure since the OS "forgot" during the SARPE surgery), so I'll be getting that taken care of next week. At least it will be over before the real busy-ness of July starts for me. I have a 6th birthday party June 23-24, leave for Jamaica June 30 and return July 9, VBS July 10 - 14, an anniversary trip to Disney July 16 - 19, and school starts back July 27! The good news is that I will hopefully be able to have surgery #2 to realign the jaws during Christmas break...Ho! Ho! Ho! And there is a slim possibility that I won't need to have it at all. We'll just have to see how far the orthodontics can take me before the final decision. Personally,, I'm OK with "close enough" to perfect if I can avoid another surgery. I'm not planning on doing any modelling any time soon and if I can just bite through a hamburger or a piece of pizza, I will be most happy. I pray all is well with the rest of the "Metal Mouth" crew and hope your smile is becoming all you would like it to be. I'll check in again soon, I promise!
Braces: Feb 1, 2006
SARPE: April 5, 2006
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
- Location: Alaska
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Wow Slawdawg, that sucks! I can't believe your doctor FORGOT to take your wisdom teeth out while he was in there! That is so messed up! Thats great that your surgery is going to be in December? Mine isn't until next May, but then I want to have the summer off to recover so that is why I chose that time frame. I had enough of a hard time wit the SARPE and trying to talk etc. Figure 4 months should be a good amount of recovery time and that I will go back to work in decent shape to do lessons etc.
Hows your SARPE healing going? I'm at 3.5 months post op, and still not totally healed yet. I can still feel areas behind my front teeth that are not back to normal and still tender. It is getting close for sure, I think like maybe one more month I will be good as new. Which is good, as my ortho plans to start moving my upper teeth when I go back in July and take this TPA out I think.
Glad to hear you are doing well though! Have you noticed any changes in your appearance at all? I just posted pics the other day on my blog of my facial changes. They are subtle but definitely there!
Brandy
Hows your SARPE healing going? I'm at 3.5 months post op, and still not totally healed yet. I can still feel areas behind my front teeth that are not back to normal and still tender. It is getting close for sure, I think like maybe one more month I will be good as new. Which is good, as my ortho plans to start moving my upper teeth when I go back in July and take this TPA out I think.
Glad to hear you are doing well though! Have you noticed any changes in your appearance at all? I just posted pics the other day on my blog of my facial changes. They are subtle but definitely there!
Brandy
Gap Closing???
Hey Slawdawg,
Was just wondering how the closing of your gap is coming now that you have the powerchain on. I go this Thursday to get mine and I figure that my gap is about the same size as yours when you finished expanding. It is really starting to get on my nerves. Everytime I look in the mirror that is all I see. Hoping that yours is closing up fairly quickly. Well gotta run. Talk to you later!......Fran
Was just wondering how the closing of your gap is coming now that you have the powerchain on. I go this Thursday to get mine and I figure that my gap is about the same size as yours when you finished expanding. It is really starting to get on my nerves. Everytime I look in the mirror that is all I see. Hoping that yours is closing up fairly quickly. Well gotta run. Talk to you later!......Fran
Hello, guys! As you can see from my previous post, I have had a very busy summer...and it's not yet over. I had my wisdom teeth removed on June 20 and everything went really well. The OS only charged what the insurance would pay and I healed up very quickly. I received prescriptions for antibiotics and two painkillers, but I did not use the painkillers. A little ibuprofen here and there is just fine for me. Ny dosctors think I'm a bit nuts since I have relied solely on ibuprofen through two surgeries so far. Somehow I think that might change when surgery #3 comes, but maybe not.
The gap is closing slowly, but nicely. At my last ortho appointment on July 27, I got even more metal in my mouth. They banded my lower 2nd molars and bracketed the upper 2nd molars. They would have banded those, too, but the lovely RPE would not allow the spacers to stay in, so I ended up with brackets instead. Boy, these things are annoying. That far back in my mouth, they really tear my cheeks up. I'm going through the wax rather quickly. Also, since they bracketed my upper, a smaller wire was needed to start moving them, but they didn't want to lose the progress on the other teeth. Therefore, I have a small gauge wire all the way across, a braided wire on top of that from 1st molar to 1st molar, and then a power chain across the front four. In addition to that, the canines have lovely little hooks for the rubber bands I have been wearing for about three weeks. Boy, that's a lot of stuff! Add to that the RPE that's still in place and the two hooks and bands added to the lower and I truly have a "metal mouth!"
I shall return to the ortho August 15 and I will dicuss further with her the possibiliy of forgoing the jaw surgery. As I said earlier, "close enough" is good enough for me. Best of luck again to the rest of you. I'll not be thinking of you at all as I head out tomorrow to spend my 13th wedding anniversary with my special lady and a special mouse!
The gap is closing slowly, but nicely. At my last ortho appointment on July 27, I got even more metal in my mouth. They banded my lower 2nd molars and bracketed the upper 2nd molars. They would have banded those, too, but the lovely RPE would not allow the spacers to stay in, so I ended up with brackets instead. Boy, these things are annoying. That far back in my mouth, they really tear my cheeks up. I'm going through the wax rather quickly. Also, since they bracketed my upper, a smaller wire was needed to start moving them, but they didn't want to lose the progress on the other teeth. Therefore, I have a small gauge wire all the way across, a braided wire on top of that from 1st molar to 1st molar, and then a power chain across the front four. In addition to that, the canines have lovely little hooks for the rubber bands I have been wearing for about three weeks. Boy, that's a lot of stuff! Add to that the RPE that's still in place and the two hooks and bands added to the lower and I truly have a "metal mouth!"
I shall return to the ortho August 15 and I will dicuss further with her the possibiliy of forgoing the jaw surgery. As I said earlier, "close enough" is good enough for me. Best of luck again to the rest of you. I'll not be thinking of you at all as I head out tomorrow to spend my 13th wedding anniversary with my special lady and a special mouse!
Braces: Feb 1, 2006
SARPE: April 5, 2006