SARPE Surgery

[bracedhubbyswife]

I don't know if anyone who has been on this site for a while will read this but my hubby started the whole process of what we thought would be "get braces on keep them on then get them off." No such luck. This started this past January. He had to have a crown put in. $800 layer and into May/June, he had to have wisdom teeth removed. Then we went back and forth with the ortho about whether or not to have sarpe. The surgeon who removed his wisdom teeth said he should do it and then do braces. We hemmed and hawed for a few more months and didn't feel that the time was right during the summer. So fast forward to now and he has his sarpe surgery scheduled for next Wednesday. We're both pretty nervous. He went in yesterday to get the RPE put in and I left feeling like I had no idea what to expect. After researching I found this site. I am so glad I did! My poor hubby has horrible teeth and I'm scared for what the future holds. I know in the end it will all be worth it but doing this as an adult with a full time job that you have to talk to people all day is NOT ideal. We're both nervous about the upcoming surgery and I'm praying for minimal complications. I don't feel like we've been given a whole lot of information on what to expect so reading all of your posts have been so helpful. He is struggling a LOT about the palette expander and hasn't eaten hardly anything since it went in . I hate this for him and I hope that he'll get used to it and it won't be in for a long time. The ortho did say they will put braces on while the expander is in still. I'm not sure how long he has to wait before he can get the braces put on after surgery? Anyways, I figured I'd share his story and I told him I registered for this site so if he ever has questions he could come on here and check out these awesome posts from you all. The ks for listening...I'll hopefully update after the surgery. I'm proud of him for going through all this and I give you all so much credit! I actually went into the ortho for a free consult myself. I have actually very straight teeth but I have a horrible crosscut and thought invisiline (sp?) Would be the key to my teeth being perfect. Wrong was I! I'd have to go through the palette expanding process myself! It sucks because cosmetically my teeth aren't that big of an issue for me, but I can see as the years have gone on, my teeth are shifting and I'm grinding a lot. First things first though is take care of him and whatever this process endures as well as making sure my kids have braces too. Maybe someday like have it done but we will see. Thanks again and blessings to you all!

[Funkyteeth]

Awww, your post made me smile. I know you guys are nervous, but SARPE (for me, age 44) was really no big deal. The worst was the expander. When I got it on in June, the whole first day I spoke very, very slowly and thought..."yeah, this is never going to work." It takes a few days to get used to the expander- figuring out how to swallow, what's difficult to eat (salad!), drooling on my pillow at night (ewww), slurping in the kitchen after food gets stuck in the expander (warning, only do this in the privacy of your own home, it's gross), discovering the awesome little dental brushes in the oral care aisle of the drugstore that help get all of the food out of the expander (eating IS a pain). But the surgery itself was a breeze, an overnight hospital stay, good painkillers, after 5 days I was up and about, although weak for a while from the anesthesia. I get my expander off next week and I'm SO freaking excited. If I remember correctly, the braces go on after the medical post ops are done and you get the all clear to return to the orthodontist. Expander stays in 60-90 days after you finish expanding. I feel like I talk funny with the expander on, but everyone says I don't. I do find myself being self-conscious about it though, and if your husband is too, it's ok, it's only temporary...for a long-term gain. Best of luck to you both!

[bracedhubbyswife]

[quote="Funkyteeth"]Awww, your post made me smile. I know you guys are nervous, but SARPE (for me, age 44) was really no big deal. The worst was the expander. When I got it on in June, the whole first day I spoke very, very slowly and thought..."yeah, this is never going to work." It takes a few days to get used to the expander- figuring out how to swallow, what's difficult to eat (salad!), drooling on my pillow at night (ewww), slurping in the kitchen after food gets stuck in the expander (warning, only do this in the privacy of your own home, it's gross), discovering the awesome little dental brushes in the oral care aisle of the drugstore that help get all of the food out of the expander (eating IS a pain). But the surgery itself was a breeze, an overnight hospital stay, good painkillers, after 5 days I was up and about, although weak for a while from the anesthesia. I get my expander off next week and I'm SO freaking excited. If I remember correctly, the braces go on after the medical post ops are done and you get the all clear to return to the orthodontist. Expander stays in 60-90 days after you finish expanding. I feel like I talk funny with the expander on, but everyone says I don't. I do find myself being self-conscious about it though, and if your husband is too, it's ok, it's only temporary...for a long-term gain. Best of luck to you both![/quote]
Thank you SO much for replying to my post!! I am just now getting back on here to update how he's doing. Surgery took place (outpatient) on October 8th and my stubborn husband decided that going back to work TODAY was a good idea! Today is 5 days post op and he still looks horrible. Everyone at works kept telling him to go home. He left a little early, but work is his life and therefore staying home last week for 3 days about killed him. So the procedure went well from what I know and the swelling has finally started to go down some. I am most concerned about the bleeding. I told him he needs to call the Dr tomorrow because that's what has me most worried. He keeps having nose bleeds and he says he's getting quite a bit of blood in his mouth. I pray this is all worth it in the end for him. I just want to see him back to normal. I have been a single mom this last week and I know it's also hard on our kids not to have daddy the way he usually is with him. His ortho called today to check in and I told them he's doing ok but I know he is really anxious to get the braces on. I don't know why his ortho said that they'd put them on with the expander. Here I was thinking that braces went on a couple weeks after the surgery! Anyways, thank you again for taking the time to reply. I believe I mentioned in my first post that if I were to ever have my bite corrected, I would have to go through this procedure myself. Yeah that isn't gonna happen lol! I know this is going to be great for him in the long run, but the process is difficult going through it. Many blessings to you! I will keep updating here as I can. (I wish he would get on here for himself and talk to others who have gone through this!!)

[kelseyognibene]

Hi everyone!

I have a lot of questions, so bear with me!

I am 23 years old and went to the orthodontist last week for the first time since I was 8. When I was little, I sucked my thumb and had a big gap. I got an expander put in, closed the gap, wore a retainer, and went on my way.

Now, as I have grown, my front two teeth have actually overlapped. I went to the orthodontist because I have had a lisp ever since that gap was closed despite speech classes. I was hoping she would have a quick answer.

Well, long story short, of course she didn't! She told me that my upper jaw is much smaller than my lower and that I have a crossbite. She suggests SARPE surgery and braces. Now I was really just expecting some Invisalign, slap that on, you're done. Unfortunately, this is much more involved than I expected.

She and I were both disappointed that my dentist didn't recommend I see someone when I was still a teenager so I could avoid SARPE, but...I'm too old now! I guess I need some input. I have obviously survived this long with my mouth the way it is. Yes my lisp is annoying and I do have some TMJ from my jaws not aligning, but this is drastic...the braces estimate I got was $6,000 (my insurance only covers braces until age 19 of course...) and I have a consult with the oral surgeon Monday to see that damage.

Yes I would like to have a nicer smile, but is it worth it? I REALLY do not want to do braces, even the clearer porcelain ones...which is pure vanity on my part. Would this change my mouth in any real way other than cosmetically? Of course I didn't think of all these questions until I left her office because I was so surprised. Does anyone have any advice or stories of their own? I'm kind of freaking out!

Thanks!

Kelsey

[Anna5]

Hello!

I am very sorry to hear that you may need SARPE to fix your teeth. I can imagine that this freaks you out! I was also recommended SARPE, but refused because I was too scared, and I went with the braces only option and I got a good (but not perfect) result. I am sure my result would have been better if I had SARPE but my crossbite is fixed now which is great.
If I were you, I would consult with some more ortho's and surgeons and hear what they say.
And ask yourself what it is worth for you, what the health risks are of going through the surgery, and what are the health risks of not going through with the surgery? Is it also possible to widen your smile with braces only and to fix your crossbite, at least to some extend? You might not get perfection then but maybe you can get a good improvement which might be ok to you?
I think there are people on this forum with about your age who got succesful non surgical expansion, so it might not be to late to try out that option first...
It seems to me that all the people on this forum who had SARPE are very happy with their results, so if you are more courageous than I have been, then I would say go for it to get the best result (especially if there are no other non surgical options). I wish you very good luck!

[Funkyteeth]

So sorry you got bad news! I agree that you should probably get a second opinion and/or ask more questions. Like what's the downside to doing nothing or just doing braces, without SARPE? If there are serious medical consequences, then you may want to consider surgery, but if it's just cosmetic, you may find an orthodontic only solution that would work to your satisfaction. I had SARPE in July and am very happy with the results, but multiple doctors told me it was medically necessary. Good Luck! And if you do decide to undergo SARPE, it's not so bad and there will be tons of people here to support you.

[jaime]

Hi everyone!

I have a lot of questions, so bear with me!

I am 23 years old and went to the orthodontist last week for the first time since I was 8. When I was little, I sucked my thumb and had a big gap. I got an expander put in, closed the gap, wore a retainer, and went on my way.

Now, as I have grown, my front two teeth have actually overlapped. I went to the orthodontist because I have had a lisp ever since that gap was closed despite speech classes. I was hoping she would have a quick answer.

Well, long story short, of course she didn't! She told me that my upper jaw is much smaller than my lower and that I have a crossbite. She suggests SARPE surgery and braces. Now I was really just expecting some Invisalign, slap that on, you're done. Unfortunately, this is much more involved than I expected.

She and I were both disappointed that my dentist didn't recommend I see someone when I was still a teenager so I could avoid SARPE, but...I'm too old now! I guess I need some input. I have obviously survived this long with my mouth the way it is. Yes my lisp is annoying and I do have some TMJ from my jaws not aligning, but this is drastic...the braces estimate I got was $6,000 (my insurance only covers braces until age 19 of course...) and I have a consult with the oral surgeon Monday to see that damage.

Yes I would like to have a nicer smile, but is it worth it? I REALLY do not want to do braces, even the clearer porcelain ones...which is pure vanity on my part. Would this change my mouth in any real way other than cosmetically? Of course I didn't think of all these questions until I left her office because I was so surprised. Does anyone have any advice or stories of their own? I'm kind of freaking out!

Thanks!

Kelsey

Kelsey,

I totally know how you feel. I was going for my consultations this time last year. I thought I just had a case of crooked teeth, but it was so much worse than that. I had SARPE in December. I was on the fence about it but a big factor for me was that it was covered by the Ontario health care plan (OHIP). If it had cost me a bunch of money, I'm not sure I would have bothered. But! I am happy I did it because I didn't have to get any teeth extracted which was important to me. I won't lie, the whole SARPE procedure is a pain. I would make sure you ask your surgeon today what, if any, other changes you will see besides cosmetic ones. Also, you should ask what to expect if you don't go through with SARPE. Are you excessively wearing down your teeth because of your bite (that's one of my problems)? Will the SARPE help your TMJ pain? Your surgeon should be able to answer all these for you. I would also ask about non-surgical expansion as Anna mentioned. It might be an option for you.

Good luck today with your consult. Let us know how it goes!

[kelseyognibene]

Thanks everyone!

Unfortunately I didn't get to ask many questions to the surgeon yesterday because he was in and out and done.They are going to go ahead and send stuff to insurance and then I go back to talk to the orthodontist where I am taking a list and asking all of my questions! Really though you all are more helpful than anyone I've met so far!!

[kelseyognibene]

UPDATE!!!

Saw my ortho last week and this is her plan--

braces for six months to straighten, THEN SARPE, then about 6 more months of braces.

So I guess, straighten the teeth, fix the jaw, straighten the teeth again?? Has anyone else had it broken up like this? I assumed SARPE would be first! It seems kind of counterintuitive to me but maybe you guys have had similar experiences?? We are waiting for insurance approval, and if all goes well the process starts in January.

[jaime]

I've heard of people having braces on for surgery but not for 6 months beforehand. Interesting. I'm sure you're probably a bit disappointed about having to wait (I know I would be) but there is a silver lining! My upper teeth are still sore from SARPE so my braces adjustments can be kind of painful. You won't have to deal with that for as long as I will!

[redwine]

I had braces on my lower teeth for about six months or so before SARPE. This was to get them in place so when I had the surgery everything would line up properly. Yes, the expander is a pain, but the time goes by much more quickly than I expected. My expander was in place for about 5-6 months after surgery. Once I was fairly healed a waterpik kept my expander clean so that was one less thing to worry about. I was back at work just a few days after surgery. I looked pretty beat up, but felt much better than I looked. BTY, I was 56 when I had SARPE and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

[jaime]

Redwine, can you tell me for how long after SARPE that you had residual soreness? Mine was 11 months ago and my palate still aches if I eat something hard (usually only if it's a lot of food). It's never bad enough for Ibuprofen, but I would have thought it'd be healed by now. But then again, I know bone takes a long time to heal, especially in adults.

[kelseyognibene]

Worst news today. insurance won't cover ANY part of SARPE. Out of pocket costs before hospital charge is $7,000 I'm 23 there's no way I can do that. I'm so disappointed..I guess I will just have to shelve it until I'm older and have better insurance.

[Sadoozie]

@kelseyognibene sorry to hear that it costs so much. The whole treatment, SARPE and other surgeries are free for me and i still wasn't sure if i wanted to go through with it. So i understand your frustrations.


I'm set for SARPE surgery on the 10/03-2015, wish me luck people!

[lalcharlie]

Those days until your surgery are going fast Sadoozie!

Do you have a waterpik? I'm wondering if it'd be a good investment.
I get my braces on 2 weeks after SARPE (25th March), have they given you a date yet?

Vicks