SARPE Surgery

[sauerkraut]

Shari, many congrats on the expander removal. It's great having a big mouth, isn't it

abonelli, glad you're doing OK. Yes it is definitely worth it, and yes we do all know what you're going through here! Believe me, when you look back on it you'll be amazed how quickly the time has gone. It's just not always easy to hear that when you're in the middle of it!! Have you tried disguising the gap with wax? It works up to a point...

selims, everyone's different! My gap closed all by itself before I even got the braces on. I really can't remember how long it was there, now, but it was definitely less than 6 months.

[badbite]

You guys have not had wire ties!?!?!?!?!?! Consider yourselves very lucky. They are by far the worst part of my treatment so far. The ortho uses a wire tie when he can't get a rubber band on the tooth due to it being rotated too far or too crooked. They are steel wires that he ties the tooth the the arch wire. They honestly feel like someone is pulling out my teeth! I a actually dreading go ing back, because my tooth is still rotated. I am honest to goodness scared of getting more wire ties.

[sauerkraut]

Badbite, I've got wire ties. I think in my case they're something to do with keeping teeth together to avoid gaps. There was a lot of yanking and shoving when the ortho and technician were putting them on, and afterwards the ortho said all sympathetically, "I expect you're starting to feel that working already, aren't you?" But funnily enough they're really not that painful. Sorry you're having such a tough time with yours.

[crazybeautiful]

Does it make a difference what type of braces you have on whether you need the wire ties? I have self-ligating ones


Sorry they hurt though badbite. So far the most painful thing I have had is the ill-fitting expander that my ortho forced into my mouth and made me bleed- and cry- (honestly, she was so intent on getting it in I thought she was gong to kill me!) Perhaps I have them to come, though....

[sauerkraut]

Does it make a difference what type of braces you have on whether you need the wire ties? I have self-ligating ones

That's a very good question. I have self-ligating braces too, but they still wangled wire ties on there somehow. I'm now wondering if the German version is different. They definitely called them "wire ties" -- in English, with a German accent (They use a lot of English terminology in German medical circles). But perhaps they meant something different by it. One day I really must learn how to post pictures...

[badbite]

Well in my case the worst part is when he puts them on, and the rest of that day. After that they don't feel any different than the rubber bands. I am sure that he is not putting them on to aviod gaps, as he put them on along with my spring to make a gap and on the rotated tooth after the gap was made. After it rotates into position (it is about 30% of the way there), then he will have to use power chains to close the gap back up. The wire ties are much stronger than the rubber bands.

[badbite]

Oh, I don't know anything about the self-litigating brackets.

[crazybeautiful]

Hmm, don't know then. Perhaps they aren't used as much with self-ligating braces (self-litigating brackets would be a novelty though, badbite! ), because things like powerchains aren't used either...


And I still need to get to the bottom of this blob business! I can't for the life in me remember what my ortho called them so I can't find anything on google ('blob things- orthodontics' doesn't bring much up!). If you remember I had 2 more put on, on the part of wire that goes across my gap, and anyway I must have caught one because it moves now. I have a bit of an Abacus thing going on now between my gap!

[sauerkraut]

I think I'm getting more confused now. Coz I've got powerchains too!! But they're definitely self-ligating brackets.

I'm still intrigued by your blobs as well, cb. I assume they're made of that acrylic stuff (like they sealed my expander with). Maybe try googling for something like acrylic stops or stays... Or remember to ask your ortho again, next time you're there

[crazybeautiful]

Now I'm confused too. Ignore me!

I've been searching again and perhaps I've made some headway; I saw a picture on google that seemed to be the same material as what I have. Except mine are small circular blobs that go around the archwire itself:


So then that led me onto to 'buttons' that go with Invisalign treatment. So perhaps I have some varient of that....

I'll ask when it's my next appointment if I get chance. It's just so long away, the suspense is killing me!

[badbite]

Are they molar build-ups?

[crazybeautiful]

No, that's just a pic to show what material they are made of, and their colour so I can try and figure out what exactly mine are. All I have is just 3 small circular blobs of that substance on different parts of my wire; 1 is on the lower wire, and the other 2 are on the same expanse of wire that is between the gap I have

[sauerkraut]

OK, if we've got a competition running for who had the longest wait for braces after SARPE perhaps we also need a "guess the best reason for the blobs" quiz

My next suggestion is that they are there simply as a kind of buffer, to protect your gums from the archwire that spans the gap.

Sorry if I'm being a bit silly. I need a distraction after yesterday's adjustment appointment. I now have a couple of extra springy things, more wire ties, and a very interesting new archwire on top. The ortho had a trainee technician with him and was enjoying demonstrating this new archwire to her. "Look, you activate it here, and when you do this it increases the tension more and more..."

Fortunately the technician got a look at my face and gently suggested to the ortho that perhaps that might be a bit too much tension.

"Oh, er, yes, we'll just wind it back a bit..." says the ortho as he remembers his demonstration object is a squirming, mutely protesting human being.

If it works, here's a link to a pic (halfway down the page) of my superdooper mushroom loop wire:

http://www.orthoorganizers.co.uk/Produc ... _Wires.htm

Soup for dinner today, I think

[crazybeautiful]

This could turn out to be a fun game!

I don't think they are buffers though. Mainly because I have one where there isn't a gap too. But that one is smaller than the other 2 where the gap is... Hmmm....

I will have to try and get a picture of them. It will probably be at the weekend. Stay tuned, folks!

Ouch, that wire looks like it would be painful! I hate it when the orthos forget that we have to endure everything they're doing to us, especially if they are showing off to trainees! I've only had loads of people come stare at me after I had SARPE and they all wanted to gawp at my gap. And once ages ago when I saw another surgeon- he came in with all his cronies- I mean trainees- and pointed out everything that was wrong with my jaw/face. I was like thanks a lot, can I go back to my exhibit now?

[crazybeautiful]

Just bumping for my SAPRE buddies, because I don't have anything new to say

I think it's nice just have the thread floating around near the top for us