SARPE Surgery

[peckabel]

Well I have suffered my first infection arrghhh and it doesnt want to clear up. I went on holidays and one of my plates got infected, which is the number one side effect of having the implants.
I still think my face is still swollen and its been 3 months since surgery but my gap has almost closed and i have most of my feeling back.

[35ksmile]

It has now been about 8 months since I had SARPE surgery, 2 months since I got my expander removed.

Went in today to get new archwires put in (I think I'm at the "strongest" kind now) and... good news? My ortho said it's "looking great" and at my next appointment they will be taking an x-ray and repositioning brackets for the "finishing touches"... which has me kind of excited. That appointment is at the start of September, so perhaps I'm looking at my next surgery in December or January? I'm not going to get too ahead of myself, but my teeth DO look great and they're moving pretty quickly, so here's hoping!

[Cheezin913]

Hi everyone and especially my fellow SARPE'ys!! Long time reader (my braces were put on in April, my googling lead me here months prior to that), first time poster .

I just set my surgery date (August 23rd) and am literally (ok maybe figuratively) bursting with excitement! I've had my braces on since April and I must say my pre-surgery results alone have been so inspiring that I cannot wait to see the drastic results post surgery that so many of you have already experienced.

This is just the begining for me - when it's all said and done I'm gunna be a two surgery guy, Lefort upper jaw adjustment and lower jaw realignment (approx. a year after the SARPE). Has anyone out else out there had treatment along these routes? At this point in my journey it seems like such a long (and unquestionably painful!) road, but it seems soo worth it.

Anyways, I think it’s great I’m not only able to share my journey but can also read and share a small piece in so many others journey too!

(Oh - and where do you find those neat progress trackers in the sig?? I’m a sucker for that kind of thing )

[DivaDeuce007]

Has anyone had any issues with their front two teeth? Mines are still fairly sensitive (had my SARPE done on Feb 3, 2011) my right tooth looks like it is trying to push out of my gums at the top. Like I see the white of the tooth in the gum. Im not sure what thats about.

[Solosage]

Had Sarpe and two lower wisdom teeth removed on the 20th of July. The OP lasted about 1 hour, but I was kept at the hospital overnight, since I was only operated on at 7pm. Anyway, the first 3-4 days were crap. I got seriously depressed on the second day, wondering why I'd gone through with the op in the first place. Anyway, now that the fifth day has arrived, I'm glad I went through with it. I've got numbness across the gums on the upper jaw, but only on the lip-side of the gums, not on the tongue-side (if that makes sense). Going to start expanding tomorrow -- probably about 10-12mm.

[lillyp57]

I am new to this message board, but so glad to have found all of you. I am 54 and have had crowded teeth all my life, but was not really bothered by them. My parents never had the money to have them fixed, and after I got married and had children I just put myself last. Then in my early 40's I saw an orthodontist for a consult and he told me that my jaw was too narrow and painted a very painful and expensive picture of what I would have to go through with surgery to have my teeth straightened. I just figured that I would never be able to have anything done and forgot about it. But many years before that my then family dentist had pulled a tooth in the side of my mouth and never closed the gap with anything. About 4-5 years ago I started to have jaw popping because all of my teeth were shifting to the side to fill in the empty space, which continued to get worse until it started to be very painful. My new dentist sent me to an oral surgeon and he explained SARPE surgery to me and suggested I think about it. He said my problems would continue to get worse without the surgery, followed by orthodontia. Well, I made the decision to go forward, and I'm getting a little nervous. My orthodontist had to put braces on the front 6 teeth on top for several months in order to try to move the front teeth back to the center of my mouth in order to do the surgery. My teeth have pushed out a bit because there's really no room for them in my small mouth right now, so the braces are constantly rubbing against my lips, even with wax. I have about a 1/4 inch gap already between my front teeth. My next appointment with the OD is on August 16th, and he thinks I will have enough space by then to schedule the surgery. Then I need to be fitted with the expander. I am getting nervous after reading the many stories on here, as I am concerned about my TMJ getting worse after the surgery until things are moved. I am getting worried about the pain, or something going wrong, etc... I want the surgery, yet I don't. I wish there was another way. Any reassurance from others out there would be very much appreciated!

[melmorrison]

I am new to this forum. I had my upper jaw surgery in December and I have one week left of my expansion. I found this forum online because I wanted to hear how other people have been dealing with the emotional side of things. Physically it doesn't hurt, but I have been having a hard time dealing with the size of my gap between my front teeth. It is around 5mm now and it will be 7mm when I finish. Because my midline was off centre to begin with, the gap is now also off centre and so I look like I am missing my front tooth the gap is so large. I am 29 and work in Government. I just started a new job one month prior to my surgery so it is really embarrassing meeting new people in a professional work context and looking like I am missing a tooth. I can see people looking, and most just ask but I am sick of telling everyone I meet the story. I have been trying to be brave and not be vain, but it is starting to get to me and making me very self conscious. Once turning the plate is finished, I will have another 2 months of waiting for the bone to heal before the braces go on and the gap starts to close. I am not sure how I will get through the next few months!!! How have others dealt with feeling ugly??

[surusuru]

I was not working when recovery of the surgery, but i relate to your story. It's very embarrassing the gap. But I have one good thing to say about this: When you finish the expansion process, then the gap closes it self very quickly, until a point that it isn't very noticeable and is not a problema. Keep it up.

[awags]

Believe it or not, my gap closed completely, and then some, before the braces even went on! Once I was done turning, my teeth started moving back together pretty quickly. Before I knew it, my two front teeth were overlapping!! And they had never been that way to start.

I was a teacher at the time of my SARPE and it was definitely very challenging. My speech was awful, and trying to present myself as a professional around parents was difficult. Just remember that it does get better!

[Cassandra2012]

I am having SARPE surgery on Monday. I am 18 years old and I am a senior in High school. This has been very helpful to make me feel better for the surgery. But did any one lose a teeth after they had the surgery. And does anyone regret their surgery after a few years of having it.





Braces on July 11 2011

[Soph26]

I can't tell you all how helpful this message board has been to me over the last few months! I have slowly been making my way through all the posts from 2005 to present, in preparation for SARPE surgery in March.

I'm English and live in the Netherlands and it doesn't seem like this surgery is very common over here. But my surgeon is really nice so I'm not too worried about that. One thing I did notice is that a lot of people seem to have brackets around their teeth for the expander? But the photographs my surgeon showed me were of the expander going through the skin above the inside gum line and (I guess) grafted to the bone. Does this sound right? I guess one of the benefits of the latter is that the expander is higher up in your mouth, causing less of a saliva trap gap between it and the roof of your mouth?? (This is pure conjecture though!)

Melmorrison, I know exactly how you feel. I'm 26 and work in publishing—lots of meetings and presentations—and am very worried about the gap. At the same time, it'll be a good lesson in humility and I am determined to see the funny side. I reckon people will notice more if you are self-conscious about it so I'm planning on laughing a lot.

Good luck Cassandra2012! I'm jealous you will be getting it out of the way. What do you mean about losing a tooth? Like an actual extraction or a tooth falling out? I'm having all four wisdom teeth out a few weeks before the surgery and am glad they're doing it this way as I think this helps with swelling.

[Cassandra2012]

Well I had the surgery yesterday and I had my bottom Wisdom teeth out at the same time. I am only puffy on one side of my face and that is my right side. The 3 hours after surgery were fine but when I got some of the painkiller meds into my system I threw up blood. I don't know if that is normal I also have been feeling some chest pain and stomach pain now and then. Has any one else had this. My doctor said that I need to sponge bath I don't know why. Are they worried about the heat because if they are then I can take a shower because I have no hot water. Also I can't close my mouth all the was so I drool all over myself . An I am afraid to brush my teeth up were the surgery went on. I also can't lift my upper lip because of the blood. Any Ideas. What I men't by a loseing a tooth is when the tooth falls out after surgery because of all the nervers cut. Sorry about the spelling mistakes i am kinda tired so have a nice day or night.

[riggiocrspagirl]

Hi! I'm having my SARPE surgery very soon too. Just wanted to let you know that you are definitely not alone! I'm getting anxious about it. I kind of just want to get it out of the way so my teeth can start looking pretty, ya know?
anyways, I'm also pretty sure that my teeth are TERRIBLE compared to a lot of people on this site. I'll be uploading the pictures of my teeth soon.
good luck!
-Ashley

[Cassandra2012]

I got very anxious about it the day of it. But the hole week before it I listened to music and that helped me a lot.

[Soph26]

I haven't heard of anyone losing a tooth from nerve damage so I think you'll be alright. How's the recovery going?