SARPE Surgery

[sauerkraut]

CrazyB: I can understand your rant. There's something wrong with putting ourselves through this and having to pay for the "pleasure", isn't there ? Did you try debating the point with your dentist? When are you having the extractions? I shall need an extraction as well but that won't be done until later for some reason. I hadn't thought about who pays for it. I'm hoping it's covered as part of the overall treatment plan...

luke88, hi and welcome to the club. Yes you might have a gap for a while but funnily enough when it comes to it it isn't such a big deal, and as Delag says you could have a go at disguising it with wax. I didn't bother and my gap was enormous! Hardly anyone said a thing. I think we're far more conscious of our own appearance than anyone else is.

Delag, it certainly sounds like you're getting on with things! I don't even have my braces yet! Glad to hear it isn't too painful. I hope you know soon about the second surgery. I was allowed a week or two of thinking it might not be necessary but I know better now

Badbite, I'm holding onto that thought about beautiful functional smiles!

I got my spacers in today ready for braces next week. Nowhere near as painful as first time round, but my teeth are pretty tender even so. Also at today's appointment the ortho showed me my X-rays and a model skull ("Fritz") to tell me about what they're planning on doing in the next operation, though that won't be for a couple of years yet. It involves making a couple of cuts through the lower jaw bone and sliding things around, then fixing plates to hold things in postion. Nearer the time I shall have to look it up on here. Do I want to know?

As an aside, the ortho said "I expect they'll whip those wisdom teeth out while they're about it." Wisdom teeth? I think I'm going crazy because I'm absolutely convinced I can remember my dentist removing my wisdom teeth some years ago. I've even posted on this board about it. But there they were on the x-ray, one fully impacted and one standing alone and proud. Did I dream those extractions?? My dentist is on holiday at the moment, but I must ask her when I see her - at the risk of her thinking I'm more batty than she already does

I also got the contract for my contribution to the price of my brackets, so it will soon be time for me to dip into my pocket as well. Nearly everything is covered by the health system here, I'm very glad to say, because it's a surgical case, but it only covers the very basic brackets which apparently are very oldfashioned and cumbersome. My ortho told me he could work with them if I so chose, and they do the job, but for my own comfort I might prefer to "upgrade" So after a very little debating with myself I shall be getting InOvation R's, with Inovation C for the "social 6" (top front, canine to canine) My daughter has InOvation R and has been very happy with them.

Oh and I also discovered my overall expansion in the end amounted to just 6mm so there must have been some relapse after all. The ortho seems to think that will be enough, though. Too late to do much about it now!

Sorry, didn't mean to ramble on. Sometimes it just does me good to come on here and burble to my heart's content, knowing that anyone who takes the trouble to read all this does at least understand what I'm going through. My family is super supportive, but they can't exactly share the experience!

[crazybeautiful]

I had my extractions today. Wasn't bad at all, and afyer 2 hours the pain went and I'm eating (fairly) normally again (as opposed to my custard for lunch. Dang, I didn't have any ice cream....must buy some as extractions are a great excuse to eat it!). I'm querying the fact I have to pay...but I was also reading in my DenPlan notes that I could claim £60 per night I spent in hospital under an orthognathic surgeon's care (I was in 2), so I may ask about that; so that can pay for my extractons if indeed I do have to pay afterall


Hey sauerkraut, what is your next sugery for? Underbite or overbite(jet?). I'm sure I already know, but I can't remember, lol . I hope mine (for underbite) is next year, but I don't know if it will.....

[sauerkraut]

Hi CrazyB, glad the extractions went OK. Hope you manage to get some money back to help pay for them!

I've been busy as well today because I was finally braced It took all morning but went OK. I took a leaf out of your book and got straight back into eating as normally as I could. I think the family were a bit surprised to see me tucking into a slice of toast for my tea! Hope I won't be paying for this indulgence with a sore mouth tomorrow

My next surgery - erm, I'm not sure exactly! I expect he told me at some point in the proceedings but it would have been in German anyway and it takes a while before I work out from this board what was meant I know my lower jaw needs bringing forward and swivelling round a bit but quite what problem that's meant to solve I'm not quite sure. I'm not as up on the technicalities as most of the folks on here!

[Delag]

Glad you got that over with CrazyB. Doesn't it feel nice when you get something checked off the never ending dental list? I agree with Sauerkraut - money back is a very good thing so I hope it works out for you. Take care of those nice new holes and let us know how they are healing.

Sauerkraut - way to go! You are also shortening your dreded dental to do list. You might want to take some Advil when you first wake up to head off any tenderness. It will probably take a couple of weeks for you not to be thinking about those new sharp rocks stuck on your teeth 24/7, but after a while you really do forget they are there. I had to laugh about the German - I get all my info in Spainish and although I think I am fluent, I seem to miss quite a lot .

Not much happening over hear lately. I am one month post op and I saw the ortho today. He changed my power chain and wants to see me again next week. He told me that I will have the expander out before I go visit my family this summer, but that would be less than 3 months, so I am not holding my breath. I have just a smidge of swelling left in my cheek and I am losing hope that my upper lip will ever feel normal again. I have a big ridge on the roof of my mouth now which will be mine for life according to the good doctor. Do you guys have that too?

I have to laugh at myself because everytime I go to the ortho he gushes, ¨BEAUTIFUL, JUST BEAUTIFUL¨. I feel like a kid who aced a test or something. Even though I look like a walking freak show, it is nice to hear someone look at this gap and say someting nice

[badbite]

Wow, my computer has been down, and I am going crazy!

Delag, I don't even have my braces yet. My surgery won't be until 12-18 months after my lowers are put on. I get my uppers done on Wed. . I don't know why different orthos do things so differently. Mine only let me turn once a day, and absolutely will not put braces on intil the expander is out. Then no bottom braces for at least two months after that. He is very conservative. He is really good at what he does, so I just do as I am told.

luke88, I had to turn 28 turns (7 mm). I had an 8 mm gap. It was really bad. It did start to close after I stopped turning, which was about 11 weeks ago. My crowns are finally meeting, but I had about a 3 mm gap near the base of my front teeth. They look whacky too. But that will all change after braces are put on. Some people have a gap for 6 months or more, for some the gap will close by itself in a week or two.

I am glad to see everyones progress. crazyb, sauerkraut - both of you are getting your braces next week? Tops and bottoms or tops? I am getting my tops on Wed and can't wait to get this stupid thing out of my mouth.

[badbite]

Well surprise for me. No TPA. I did get the expander out. I can swallow water! It is so great. Uppers went on today. No problem.

[crazybeautiful]

No TPA, huh? Mine's still in, along with upper and lower braces Got them today. My whole mouth is aching though, and so I'm in a bad mood!

I'm a bit bummed though, because I don't have any colours, and didn't get to pick any either, so they're just boring metal things. She said they were expensive though, £9 to the usual £2 per bracket, but I dunno why because they're nothing special, and I couldn't ask because I had cheek retacters and cotton wool in my mouth
I may have to look around at pics on here to compare

[badbite]

Yehm, actually I am kind of worried about not having a TPA. everyone else has one after thier expander comes out it seems. My orhto said no need.

[Delag]

Badbite.....WOW! No TPA - lucky you! I am sure your ortho knows what he is doing - you have had the expander a good chunk of time and with the new archwire I am sure everything will stay put. You yourself just said he is ¨very conservative¨. Congrats on getting the uppers on.

Congrats to you too Crazybeautiful. It must be hard getting upper and lower done at the same time. I had a hard enough time getting them done one at a time. I didn't get any fun colors either and everytime I whine about lack of color, my ortho says that he doesn't like color on braces and won't let us have any

I saw Dr. Hottie today. I think he saves the big stuff for when I go with my DD because he knows I won't be such a cry baby in front of my kid I got a new upper wire, new power chain, and he put elastics on my TADs and hooked them to my molars. The plan is to intrude the molars and (fingers crossed) avoid the surgery to close the open bite. I can tell I am going to be sore tomorrow, so we will all be in the same boat

What really hurt at todays appt was the pulling on the Alar stitch as they yanked my cheeks around. That was far worse than the tooth stuff. Anyone know how long those things stay in to be a pain in the nose?

[luke88]

hi guys...

having been reading through this thread, I have noticed there is quite a big difference between my course of treatment and other peoples. for instance, i only have to expand for 10 days, twice daily and only have to wear my expander for 2/3 months... i've read some people wearing it for 6 months!! how come people are different?

[badbite]

luke88, Everyone is different. I had to expand for four weeks-once a day. I am guessing that is partly why my ortho is not making me wear a TPA. I had my expander for a total of 18 weeks a 2 days. @x a day for ten days is about 5mm expansion. I had to turn 28 times. I know some people had 9 or even 11mm expansion. I guess that is part of the reason some treatmetn plans are so different.

Delag, how is your pallette healing? I still can't stand thinking about the skin ripping up there. Yes my orhto is very conservative, that is why I was completely taken back when he said no TPA.

Crazyb, Are youe teeth less sore yet? Mine feel a little better today. THey only hurt when I am actually chewing something. I kow your's have to be wrose since you got your lowers too. I don't think my "conservative" ortho will give me lwoers for at leats two adjustments. Are your extraction site healing?

sauerkraut, How are your braces? Did you get upper and lowers on? Are you wearing a TPA?

I am happy today because I can swallow water without slurping like a fool. Chewing is not fun, but I am forcing myself to chew. I have heard chewing is good and will help the soreness go away. Still worreid about relapse (no TPA?), but I am a MAJOR worry-wort!

[crazybeautiful]

Hey guys. My extraction sites are fine, and I'm slightly less sore, but the main thing is I've got coily wire (yeah, techincal!) across the front uppers to pull down my canines I guess, and they are rubbing my lip so badly...there's not enough wax in the world to stop all the rubbing! (I'm actually sitting with a wad of gauze- because it was on hand- along my front teeth to give my lip a break )

Also, the wire on the bottom is catching my cheek at one side, so I may have to go ask them to twist it so it does'nt dig in; though I don't want to be a hassle and go see my ortho just for that


Glad your teeth aren't too sore, badbite I was thinking a more conservative ortho would use a TPA too, but perhaps because you only had 1 turn a day, it means your bone would be more stable quicker? I dunno, but you obviously mustn't need it.

Don't worry Luke, everyone's needs- and therefore treatments- are different. As badbite said, she expander 5mm, whereas I expanded about 10mm and turned twice daily for around 4 weeks, so our treatments will be slightly different, but no less effective. Good luck with the expansion

What's with all the boring orthos we have, Delag? Mine kept mentioning that my brackets were really expensive compared to what they use more frequently, but I don't care, I still want colours!

[sauerkraut]

CrazyB Congrats on the braces. How are you coping now with your mouth full of metal?

Delag Sounds like you're going through interesting times as well. Hope you manage to avoid more surgery. I'm very interested to hear about your "ridge" as I had one of these in the roof of my mouth before surgery which was so large they had to remove it and which has grown back a bit but much smaller. My ortho said it's what you usually see in patients who have/had a cleft palate and have been operated on to deal with that.

Luke, I agree with CB: we all have our own little variations in treatment to worry us but don't let it get to you! I was told 3/4 months wearing the RPE but it turned out to be nearer 7 in the end!

Badbite, congrats on finally being RPE free. Shame you had to get braces straight away to spoil the freedom but I'm sure it's a bit of an improvement anyway. I was also a bit confused not to get a TPA. I had the expander removed and then had to wear a removable retainer for a month before getting braces, top and bottom. While they were fitting the braces, the ortho said something over his shoulder to the assistant about doing an impression for a "PB". They always say these things when your mouth's full of stuff and I forgot to ask about it afterwards, what with everything else that was going on. But I have a more than sneaking suspicion that I'm going to get a palatal bar at my next visit, which I gather is similar to a TPA. So I think I am showing signs of relapse. Will wait and see...

[luke88]

I'm over a week now post op, most of the swelling has disappeared but I still can't chew anything. I have been to the orthdontist today and they are pleased with my progress so far. I do have a gap but it's not as large as some others on this forum. I have been turning my key twice daily and I have to do this for ten days.

I thought I was having this operation to expand my top jaw, it does certainly look like this is happening but my expansion finishes on Saturday and my top jaw has still got quite a bit of work to do before it meets with my upper jaw. I want to carry on expanding it past 10 days. My ortho said my top jaw was making progress and only told me to expand it for ten days. I'm not happy with it so far and I would like to expand it more. I have another ortho appointment next Wednesday, I persume to check and see if everythings good then I won't need to go and visit them for 2 months, I to allow for healing etc.
Do you hink I should carry on expanding it for a few days after 10 days? Surely it can't do anything bad?

Thanks

[crazybeautiful]

When your ortho thinks you've had enough expansion, he/she will either put some cement on the hole or wire or something, so you won't be able to carry on expanding! Sorry

Also, think that braces will make your arch more rounded, so your top jaw may still look too small, but you wouldn't have had the surgery if there wasn't going to be too much difference in your jaw, right?


Can you not chew because you're in pain? I was eating basically normally (if a little more tenetatively) by like, day 3, and I can't imagine SARPE causing someone to be on soups past the first few days (if that)....just saying for your own good, you know; I wasn't going to succumb to a liquid diet just for SARPE. I'll save that for my bimax.