Joplin's Story (photos on page 12)

[EyeSpy21]

Oh dear Joplin...sounds like you're getting pushed into a corner now with the surgery. Extraction in the hope of bringing down the impacted teeth definitely sounds to risky if it doesn't work out and you end up with implants.

I saw your other post looking for post-op peeps and wait with interest also.

[joplin]

Yes, that's exactly how I feel: being pushed in the corner. Well put.
Today I'm having all kinds of emotions, sadness and frustration and all about having it so complex and risky
I hope getting rid of the expander on Monday will lift my spirits a little.
Thanks for letting me bend your ear time after time, guys.

[Clo]

Hi Joplin,

first of all, even when they do need to extract the impacted canines, I
still think you can get a very nice result. If I look at your avatar and
imagine those laterals in their correct position and angle, I only see a
nice set of teeth and a beautiful arch. So, yes risky and complex, but
with a high potential of getting a very nice smile. If your bite is
functionally ok, so that would be very acceptable I think. I see it as
a challenge, but you have the certainty of a safety net 'in case you fall'.

More lightly, I tried the twannnggg on my tpa too. Hardly a sound and
pain to my molars . So no music for me. No problem though, there is
always music in my head .... !

playing with it will be the first thing the ortho will say an absolute NO to, right?

Not necessarily ! I seem to be a tongue thruster. I told my ortho I would
try to play more with my tpa and push less my tongue forward. Yes, she
said, it is not a bad idea. Hmmmmmm, I just think about it, so maybe I
will need that tpa for life. So I wouldn't have relapse. Grrrrr.

About your appliance. I think you will very rapidly adjust to it. Because
your palate will be free and after that expander, I think it will be a breeze.
Maybe some speech issues. But hey, when you can live with an expander,
you can surely live with that ...

I wish you all the best. Good luck Joplin !

[joplin]

Thanks, Clo! Being in such an emotional mood today (this morning I cried about a sad column in the morning paper about a reporter's cat that fell off the 4th floor window and died, boo hoo hoo goes Joplin) your words about seeing potential for a nice smile despite the lack of canines touched me. So sweet of you to say that I only see a bunch of problems there

Last night I came to think of this new appliance I am prescribed. How is it supposed to support my palate and maintain the new arch length when it's only attached to my molars and follows the arch, not the palate like a tpa does?!?!? I know I should trust my ortho to know what she's doing, but this is another one of those "dumb" questions that I need to have explained to feel secure and informed about what's going on.
Such questions always seem to pop up only after you're out of the office, didn't cross my mind as the ortho was telling me about the appliance. I was just like "Oh.... ? Is it going to be uncomfortable wearing it?" Matters of the appliances technicalities slipped my mind at that moment An engineer in the room would not have been a bad idea

OK, now I'm visioning a palatal arch big band jamming, everyone giving out a different tune from their appliances. I hear an aboriginal kind of sound, boing-a-doing-a-twang-a-dong.... Can you hear it?

[Clo]

Hi,

I think your appliance is meant to maintain the distance between your
left and your right molar. So, it holds the arch width, not length. This
appliance is like an U where the tops want to go wider, and therefor
create a force on the molars to the cheekside. If there is no force
anymore, the metal will be strong enough to make your molars stay in
place, so your arch does not get smaller again when having the braces.
A tpa does kinda the same thing. It 'floats' under the palate, but does
not touch it either. So, in short, this appliance will maintain your arch
width. At least that is what I think. Can you understand what I mean ?

[kelly12300]

Joplin,
Good luck for Monday. I really hope you can get it out then! And good luck with the rest of the treatment

[joplin]

Oh, I meant to say "width" instead of "length", of course.
I have an appointment at the ortho's today (twice actually) and I'll make sure to her ask about this. I don't want to feel any insecurities about it.
I'll let you know what happens today. I have an appointment for a mold in an hour, then, a couple of hours later the new appliance should be ready and I should have my expander out and the new thing in.

Thanks for the wishes, kelly12300

[joplin]

EyeSpy, now seeing your photos in the avatar I'd say your smile looks quite nice the way it is That rotated lateral does not look bad to me at all, and if it really does not bother your bite I would not worry about it. But that's just me - dentists and orthos probably see it differently.
Keep smiling

[joplin]

For the record my latest x-ray from January 17th:


and here is my palate pre and post expansion:

[joplin]

....and now bye-bye to my mean four-legged friend!

Here pictured from above, sorry about the poor lighting.

I'll later post a picture of my newly bonded palatal arch that will stick with me for the months (years?) to come. It feelf weird now, of course, and my mouth is once again thinking I'm about to eat something, so the saliva issue hits me strong right now. I hope that will pass. Otherwise this thing does not feel terribly bad, I think I might get used to it. At least my palate is free of hardware now - YEAH!
This arch thing also has a lot of curves to get food stuck in, so that part of fun I did not have to give up

[kelly12300]

YAY! I'm glad you go it out Is the palatal arch better than the palatal explander? Hope it is! Again, good luck!

[joplin]

Well, it's not SUCH a mouthfull, but obviously takes its time to get used to. There are a lot of curves and bends for my tongue to explore again, but not such sharp edges like on the expander.
My S's sound a little funny now, but if I learned to talk with the expander (some people never noticed a difference in my speech) I will learn to speak with this thing. I just wish this excess saliva issue will subside, it's so annoying!
I just had a cup of coffee and it was a pleasure: it just sailed through my mouth without being, eh... filtered through the "legs" of the expander - NICE!
I'm anxious to get to study the art of eating a banana again... That was so weird while the RPE was on. Oh my, it really is off now never to come back!!!

[kelly12300]

I have a removable brace on my top teeth (kinda like a retainer) and I know what you mean my the saliva problem. That is really annoying. Hope it stops soon!

[Katypooh]

....and now bye-bye to my mean four-legged friend!

Yeah! At last - wow that is a mean looking thing! Glad this new appliance sounds much nicer.

Did your ortho say if she thought it would be worth trying to move your canines a little bit, to see if they will move, before you decide if you should get them taken out or not?

Katy (now counting down in hours to expander removal (fingers crossed))

[joplin]

Katy, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! I hope you'll get to say goodbye to your expander!
BTW, removing it was not a bad experience, I mean it did not hurt or anything, it was just a little uncomfortable as they had to yank it on each side a little to make it loose, but that took just a few minutes and was over fast.

Yes, the expander does look nasty and I hated every moment of wearing it, imagining all kinds of methods to smash it into pieces as soon as it was out. But you know what? When I finally had it on the palm of my hand, I forgave it. It felt so small and light as a feather I could not believe the agony and discomfort it gave me while in my mouth! I might just keep it as a crazy memento of a chapter in my life

I'm saving my further questions about the canines for the oral surgeon I'm meeting next. Maybe his specilized eye can see something my ortho's does not.