SARPE Surgery

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#1246 Post by **sauerkraut** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:14 am

abonelli, sorry: I forgot to compliment you on your photos. Your braces are VERY discreet -- hardly noticeable in those pics at all

Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:42 am

sauerkraut wrote:abonelli, sorry: I forgot to compliment you on your photos. Your braces are VERY discreet -- hardly noticeable in those pics at all

I second this

#1248 Post by **avy** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 7:50 pm

I am feeling really down and frustrated at the moment...

I had SARME done 5 weeks ago this Friday and have 4 turns left (total of 34). My gap is approx 6mm big and I just hate it. Also, I cant chew properly becuase my bite is all off and my teeth still hurt, I still have some swelling which is really annoying me because I dont look like myself, and I talk funny which is the most annoying part of all. Most days I'm fine with it and know that its only short term and the end result will be worth it. But i'm just getting so frustrated with all of it! I hope this is normal and everyone felt like this at some point through their journey. Its hard going from eating and speaking normal to looking really weird and talking like you're drunk and not being able to chew without alot of effort. Sorry for the whinge, I just need to hear that it does get better...

#1249 Post by **amb** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 9:15 pm

avy wrote:I am feeling really down and frustrated at the moment...
I had SARME done 5 weeks ago this Friday and have 4 turns left (total of 34). My gap is approx 6mm big and I just hate it. Also, I cant chew properly becuase my bite is all off and my teeth still hurt, I still have some swelling which is really annoying me because I dont look like myself, and I talk funny which is the most annoying part of all. Most days I'm fine with it and know that its only short term and the end result will be worth it. But i'm just getting so frustrated with all of it! I hope this is normal and everyone felt like this at some point through their journey. Its hard going from eating and speaking normal to looking really weird and talking like you're drunk and not being able to chew without alot of effort. Sorry for the whinge, I just need to hear that it does get better...

I understand 100% and couldn't agree more!!! Trust me IT DOES GET BETTER! + as you said the end result will be worth it!

Eating, speaking & living with a gap gets pretty tough after a while - just stay positive and think that in a couple of months when the gap/swelling is gone you will be looking back on your experience and thinking to yourself ppppffft. that was easy! & the results are great - what's was all the fuss about again? I now I have & still do...

All the best

Thu Jul 16, 2009 9:39 am

It's perfectly understandable to be a bit annoyed with the whole thing, but eventually it will get better

I've actually just posted about SARME and the gap on my blog (see below) if anyone wants to look. It's not meant to be taken seriously, but I have some suggestions as to what to do about the gap

#1251 Post by **sarpevictim** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:00 pm

Update!

I had my SARPE done on Jun 4th. I had my RPE placed in probably about a month prior to that. I turned twice for 2 weeks for a total expansion of about 9 mm (7 mm was needed).

Today I got the RPE yanked out. To be honest, it wasn't that bad. I really couldn't care less whether it was still in because I had gotten so used to it, although now I can say the letter "k" correctly. I got another wire thing placed in to hold the arch, not sure what it's called. It's a lot smaller.

I also got top and bottom braces today. They hurt like a mother! But soon it will be over. 10-12 months to go before the 2nd jaw surgery and then I'll be done with all of this hopefully.

Until next time!

#1252 Post by **avy** » Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:45 pm

sarpevictim wrote: Today I got the RPE yanked out. To be honest, it wasn't that bad. I really couldn't care less whether it was still in because I had gotten so used to it, although now I can say the letter "k" correctly. I got another wire thing placed in to hold the arch, not sure what it's called. It's a lot smaller.

Wow, you got your RPE out quick! Mine will be in for 6 months

Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:49 am

Congrats on getting the RPE out. The thing you have now is called a TPA (transpalatal arch). When I had mine in I didn't even know it was there, though like you I had gotten used to the expander anyway. Did your mouth feel really huge afterwards?

I'd guess that you got your expander out so soon mainly because you overexpanded, so therefore it's ok to have a little relapse to get to the 7mm you needed. I needed every one of my 10mm expansion, so like Avy will have, I had my expander in for 6 months too

#1254 Post by **sarpevictim** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:57 am

Avy, crazybeautiful, 6 months seems to be the norm. I didn't even know I was getting mine out until a week before when I was getting my spacers put in to prepare me for braces.

I was really worried about relapse. The last thing I want to do is get a SARPE surgery done again! But they told me the bones have started setting in and they're putting in the transpalatal arch (thanks, that's the name I was looking for!) so that reassured me.

My mouth was always small and still is small, but it definetly feels bigger. And the best part is, now when I look at the top of my mouth with a handheld mirror, I have a beautiful U shape of my teeth versus a weird V shape, and it looks great! This makes my overbite seem a lot less noticable as well since the teeth have filled out horizontally. I'm very satisfied with the results and am glad I did it!

Soon enough your guys' expanders will be out too and we'll all have beautiful arches!

Sat Jul 18, 2009 11:38 am

Sorry for the confusion- I've actually already had the surgery more than a year and a half ago

Was just saying that I had my expander in for 6 months, and Avy said she will have hers in for that time.

Relapse shouldn't be such a concern for you anyway because if you have over-expanded then it doesn't matter. This might be why you had your expander out so early, as there was no caution as to relapsing too much

#1256 Post by **avy** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 5:11 pm

Ahh that makes sense, thanks CB. I wondered why some ppl got their RPE out sooner than others.
Because my arch was uneven to start with I had to overcorrect one side to correct the other (hope that makes sense) so my RPE has to stay in so the correct side doesnt relapse. The overcorrected side can be brought in with braces apparently so I'm just trusting my ortho and going with it!
P.s. i have finally finished expanding! I posted some pics on my blog if you wanna check out my huge mouth

http://avyssurgerytreat.blogspot.com

#1257 Post by **sarpevictim** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:37 pm

Avy, your palate looks great now! I don't have any before pics because my mom had taken my camera when she went on vacation, otherwise I'd post some too.

crazybeautiful, how long did it take for your gap to disappear? My gap got smaller really quickly (in about 4 weeks), and then got stuck around 2-3 mm. Now my teeth have just been sitting in that position and not moving.

#1258 Post by **sarpevictim** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:38 pm

Btw, only here is the compliment "Your palate looks great!" not completely weird.

#1259 Post by **avy** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:38 pm

thats so true... and only here would people not be grossed out by looking inside another persons mouths. When I show people at work they just cringe and go 'ohh gross!'

#1260 Post by **colorpurple** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 4:04 pm

question ppl:

so i've done 20 turns which should amount to 5mm plus 1mm from the surgery -- so i should be up to 5mm.

but when i measured the gap between my teeth, it only appears to be about 3.5 mm!!!!!!!!! how does that make sense? i notice more space between my incisors so it's possible that it wasn't the best way to measure. did you guys actually measure the gap b/w ur teeth as definitive?

help!!!!!!!!!!

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SARPE Surgery

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