When did you get used to the expander?

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#1 Post by **hae703** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 8:36 pm

I just had my palate expander put in today and while I was not expecting it to be pleasant it was not what I was expecting at all. Really my main fear was that my speech would be awful. It's bad, but not as bad as I feared.

But I was totally unprepared for the inability to swallow properly, especially with liquids. The excessive saliva that I can't swallow as well. Choking on my food. Difficultly swallowing pills. And my tongue is killing me already and it's only been in for 8 hours.

I tried putting wax on the parts my tongue is rubbing, but I can't get it to stay on as there is too much smooth metal for it to stick. Any suggestions? The tip, sides and top of my tongue are already very raw.

Somehow from the photos I thought it was going to sit all the way up against the roof of my mouth, but it's much lower than anticipated so my tongue is hitting it a lot.

Just wondering from others how long it took to get used to this and how did you handle the tongue issue. Other than the wax that I can't seem to get to stick I have no other ideas how to protect it and one more day of this and I won't be eating.

Any suggestions?

TIA

Heather

#2 Post by **I love my teeth** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:23 pm

I don't have an expander, but I do have a TPA--same kind of thing, it took about 1 week for me not to be in excruiating pain, and 2 to feel pretty good!! I just gobbed the wax on at night, so my tongue could heal, lots of salt water rinses, and tea seems to help heal up the tongue sores

good luck, it will get better!!

#3 Post by **felicia** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:00 pm

I had an expander for 6 months. In the first week I honestly didn't eat too much...I only ate when I was very hungry. I used to drink gallons of Ensure. Just like you, I had trouble swallowing pills...and I never learn how to do it right or easier. In about a month, I can say that I got already used with the expander, and I had no more trouble eating...but there were foods that I definitely avoided(like lettuce). I cannot give you any advice about how to deal with the sores on your tongue because I had none. I heard other people saying, just like you, that their expander was very low in their mouths. Mine was actually very high, and until it opened up a little bit, after a few turns, I had trouble cleaning the top of it.
What made my 6 months with the expander easier?...The thought that it will all be worth it in the end.

#4 Post by **CanberraRaiders** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:52 pm

Hi Heather,

I can relate to you as I had mine put in just last monday. No matter how much info you get on them, you definately can't predict what the experience will be like till you get it and when you get it, its so much worse than you expected! especially the first day. It will get better though. Every day you'll get a little more used to it.

I didn't get any sores on my toungue till about day 3-4 when i woke up one morning there was a nice imprint on my toungue. I just left it as is and each day my toungue just got more & more used to it. My expander sits very low too & is the turn key type of RPE. One suggestion I've heard is to wrap some sort of blister bandaid around the expander but sounds like a pain in the ass to me. Seriously your toungue will get used to it. & the excess saliva production will slow down after 2 days or so.

Other than that expanders suck & I have the constant urge to rip mine out.

hae703 wrote: Just wondering from others how long it took to get used to this and how did you handle the tongue issue. Other than the wax that I can't seem to get to stick I have no other ideas how to protect it and one more day of this and I won't be eating.

Any suggestions?

TIA

Heather

#5 Post by **CanberraRaiders** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:58 pm

Also check out this thread > viewtopic.php?t=33770 for info on expanders. A lot of helpful people who have had experience with them have comented in it.

#6 Post by **tyeomans** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 2:19 am

Not for a long time for me! I still remember the day that I got my braces and expander put in when we went to Apple Bee's, and I ordered the chicken fry. It took forever to get the first bite down! I only had it for about 6 months. As far as being used to it in my mouth? Approx. 1 month. Learn how to eat with it? Never got used to that! Good luck with your expander! The finished product will be exciting!!

#7 Post by **hae703** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 9:43 am

Thanks for sharing. Salt water rinses sound like a very good idea. Other than that I guess it seems like it will be very individual in how I adjust to it.

Unfortunately, I'm on an extremely limited diet of less than a dozen foods already and because I'm breastfeeding I have to make sure I eat enough calories and keep a reasonable nutritional variety to keep making milk. So shakes and that sort of thing are out for me. Although solid foods so far aren't quite as bad as attempting to swallow liquids with the exception of the craisins I almost choked to death on last night.

From looking at photos online I think I have an RPE. I wasn't sure because some pics show one that is attached to two molars on each side and some only one. Mine is attached only to one back molar on each side.

Oh, and is it normal that I can't close my teeth now? My bottom teeth hit the metal of the expander and that is the only contact I have when I close my mouth. Just wanted to make sure this is okay and doesn't mean it fits poorly.

Thanks for your replies and for the link. I'll check it out. I can't believe we put kids through this torture-lol.

Heather

#8 Post by **felicia** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 10:47 am

Hae703, you mean that your lower molars hit the bands from your expander?
I don't think they should touch, mine didn't touch, my lower teeth didn't even know that I had an expander...lol
I remember that when I had my expander put in, the assistant kept making me bite down and with some kind of tool she kept pushing the expander band higher, until she made sure that it didn't touch my lower teeth.

#9 Post by **CanberraRaiders** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 5:50 pm

My molar bands just touch my lower teeth too. I was also worried my ortho hadn't fit it on properly but didn't have time to go back. I just make sure not to make too much contact between my upper & lower teeth. Probably not a good thing.

#10 Post by **rcknrllmom** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:24 pm

Heather, I could have wrote this today. I want to run back and have this thing taken out. It hurts so darn much. And I don't know if I want to wait weeks or a month to get used to it. Don't like the feeling of not being able to swallow or all the saliva. My tongue is already feeling raw.

Sometimes I wonder if it is worth it. I truly want to call him and say get this thing out!

#11 Post by **sauerkraut** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:47 pm

An earlier member of this board called Brandyleigh came up with a trick for wrapping a blister plaster round the expander when it was rubbing her tongue. Have a search for it (there are quite a few posts referring to it and there should be a link to her blog somewhere on here too) to see exactly how she did it.

Hang in there and it does get better, honest

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When did you get used to the expander?

When did you get used to the expander?

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