DrBlur's story

[DrBlur]

I have an ortho appointment this afternoon...he said he'd most likely have me stop turning the expander (I stopped on Wed...see below) and begin closing the ginormous gap and also straightening my bottom teeth some more...

re: the expander, on Monday I started getting this weird tugging pain in my gums near of my top front teeth and when I looked I noticed the right tooth had a weird indent in the gums, it almost looked like it was getting pushed *out* sideways! It's not loose but it looked funky enough that it freaked me out and I called the ortho...he was supposed to call me back but never did, so after bearing with it till Wed, I stopped turning. The gap is almost 2mm wide now, so I think it's plenty big...we shall see what he says today...

[BracketRacket]

Good luck! My gum started looking funky in relation to one of my teeth, too -- almost like a triangle on the one side. My surgeon had told me that as long as the gum doesn't start turning black it should be OK. Hopefully you'll have enough space, I know what a relief it is to stop turning!

[DrBlur]

^my gum looks like it's part of the "socket" where the tooth used to sit that it's being pushed out sideways...it's funky, and the first day it had what looked like a dark red scab type thing in it (which disappeared after I brushed). It's nice and pink now, but still, *I* think I'm done turning...hopefully the ortho will think so, too!

[DrBlur]

I saw the orthodontist on Friday and I was given the OK to stop expanding and let the bone heal for 6 weeks, so I've not had to do anything except keep eating soft foods. I still numbness/tightness in my gums/teeth/palate but I feel as though I'm starting to get the slightest bit of feeling back. When I go back in 6 weeks, he said he's going to start wiring my teeth to close the giant gap in my front teeth. After that, he's going to begin straightening my upper and lower teeth, so I think big changes are coming starting in November!

My wife and I already notice a difference, though...my smile is much wider and "toothier" than it's ever been (I never showed ANY teeth when I smiled, before, it was just the way my mouth was shaped). Now that my palate and bite are corrected, it's a world of difference

[DrBlur]

I'll hit 6 weeks this Friday since my ortho told me to stop expanding. I see himthis Friday and he had told me now he's going to begin the long work of closing my enormous gap and straightening everything on the top and bottom. I am slowly but surely regaining feeling in my upper gums and teeth, but...

The teeth hurt like hell, but in a different way than they do with just braces. And the gums...they have this weird "nervy" pain, but not like I can describe...almost what it feels like when they clean inside your gums at the dentist and rub against the nerve sheath below the tooth...they feel really weird like that, and most teeth are tender to the touch and feel loose. Will this ever go away? I sure hope so!

I do see the surgeon next week for my final follow-up, so I'll ask then...

[SonyaM]

I had that same feeling in my teeth, but it only lasted 4 or 5 days. I hope it calms down for you soon!

[DrBlur]

^Only a few days, eh? Mine's been going on like this for about a month now...basically as soon as I started getting feeling back in my gums, that's when the teeth started feeling odd/hurting

[DrBlur]

Went to the ortho today....got new elastics on the top and bottom, new wire on top, and a powerchain between my canines on either side, bridging my huge gap...bloody hurts! I have to go back in 6 weeks.

[DrBlur]

Well, it's been a while since I updated! Just got back from the ortho this morning...my gap had been closing up nicely. Today they put a new wire on the bottom and some wire ties on both of the premolars in order to turn them out more to make them line up. On the top, where the action is happening, I got a new, heavier wire (this time it's square wire as opposed to the usual round wire) and more powerchain across the front to close the gap. I opted for dark blue elastics this time as my daughters kept asking me to get something other than silver, haha! Maybe it's because I'm so used to it at this point but I have very little discomfort, although I'm sure that'll change soon! The orthodontist also told me today that I'm halfway to getting the expander taken out, which is great news!

I go back in 6 weeks for the next one so we'll see what happens then!

[DrBlur]

Only thing to add is that, starting last night, my top teeth are SORE and feel very tight, and my bottom teeth are sore, especially the two that got wire ties. Nothing I'm not used to by now, though, and certainly not as bad as the pain after my SARPE and expansion!

[DrBlur]

Had another adjustment on Friday and got new elastics and powerchain. The gap in my front two teeth from SARPE is nearly closed! There's just barely a tiny space between them. Of course, the canines have a huge space between them and the next tooth over toward the front, but I'm guessing we'll work on closing that space next time!

[DrBlur]

Had my latest adjustment on Friday, April 1. On the top I got the same old powerchain across the front teeth (I was surprised they didn't begin to move my canines forward). On the bottom I got way more done...wire ties on two of my front teeth to turn them straight, and powerchains across all of my molars and bicuspids up to the canine (I was surprised by this since I had no spaces/gaps on the bottom). A *LOT* of soreness, although it's mostly gone away by today.

But the good news is, at my next visit in May, MY EXPANDER IS COMING OUT! I can't wait! I'm used to it by now so it's not that it's affecting my talking or anything like it had before, and I haven't expanded since late September, but still, just to have it out of my mouth will be so nice and make brushing/flossing WAY easier!!

[BracketRacket]

WAHOOO!!!!
Congrats!
Sounds like we're at the same spot with the gaps -- I have pretty sizable ones between my laterals and canines, too. My front teeth were steel tied last time (had been powerchained across the front four) and I think my ortho said he just wanted to see where things settled for now. I go back for another adjustment tomorrow, and I'm curious to see what'll come next.

[DrBlur]

Good luck, hope it all goes well for you! Sounds like you're a little bit ahead of me as far as the treatment. While I've been super happy that my front gap (which was HUGE) has been closed for a few months, I'm looking forward to fixing all the spaces/flaring/crookedness on the top (the bottom is already going full steam ahead). And then my cross-bite...I had a cross-bite before my surgery, but it's a bit worse now, so that will be nice to get taken care of. It'll be a long haul, but worth it. I already notice when I bite that there's no pain because it's proper now due to my palate finally being wider than my bottom jaw.

[DrBlur]

Expander out today! Bloody hell did that hurt, though, when they were pulling down on it to get it off of my teeth. I also have two deep red holes in the roof of my mouth where my mouth had grown around the ends of the gear pressing into it the last 7 months...quite a weird feeling! My mouth feels so much bigger now and it's nice to be able to floss and brush without navigating around it. I got bands and brackets placed on the teeth that it was attached to, and my ortho wants to straighten those teeth a bit more before he begins closing the massive gaps on the side with powerchains. I also got powerchains on the bottom molars through the bicuspids on both sides, to rotate them some more...so needless to say I'm sore as hell!