[quote="Perfectsmilepending8"]Hi all,
I'm 8 days post surgery and overall feeling better than I thought I would be. Swelling has gone down considerably but is still there. Still have some numbness in my nose, front teeth, top lip and some slight numbness in my cheeks.
I stared turning my RPE on Monday (2days ago) and already have a very small gap in my tooth. I've been doing two turns a day and since starting the turns I went through being nervous about turning, getting the hang of it, getting excited to turn and now freaking out that I may have a 10mm gap very soon.
@Spirus how are you getting on with yours?
Any advice on how to deal with having a 10mm much appreciated and timelines that you had a large gap for.
Had a good read of the full discussion and great to not be the only one going through this.[/quote]
Hi Perfectsmilepending8
I was told I would have to be expanded by 10 mm too. I was wondering if you got all the way to 10 mm and if so do you have any tips on how to cover the gap? Also, how long did it take for your gap to close after you got your braces on ?
SARPE Surgery
Moderator: bbsadmin
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Metalmouth33
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 10:53 am
Re: SARPE Surgery
I had a SARPE surgery a few years ago followed by two years of braces.
Mostly I feel extreme regret about the whole procedure. Everything looked and seemed nice the day I got my braces off, but since then I've had consistent discomfort (sometimes pain) in mouth. My teeth are 'relatively' stable. I say relatively, because they hold to a certain shape, but my teeth never stop moving around. One day my top two main incisors will be 1-2mm more to the left, then it'll retrace it and go back the other way. Sometimes those two teeth are moving backwards. I still wear my retainers everyday-it's the only way to get my teeth to feel okay sometimes and put them in a stable position for a few hours. It's not guaranteed to work either.
It also messed up my facial symmetry. My teeth were far from perfect before, but my face was handsome, and it didn't have pain. I was never called Ugly until afterwards. Most people call me ugly now. I also feel the same alot of the time. I just wish I would have been more mature when I was younger, mature enough to realize that we can't all have a perfect smile/body. Now I sometimes look back on what I used to have with envy. My attitude towards all this is what I can control, I don't always feel this way. But my mouth is usually in discomfort/pain, that I cannot control. Some days I almost cannot stand it.
There is simply too many posts for me to read through. Has anyone had a similar experience? What did you do?? Do you bear with it, is there a fix?
Mostly I feel extreme regret about the whole procedure. Everything looked and seemed nice the day I got my braces off, but since then I've had consistent discomfort (sometimes pain) in mouth. My teeth are 'relatively' stable. I say relatively, because they hold to a certain shape, but my teeth never stop moving around. One day my top two main incisors will be 1-2mm more to the left, then it'll retrace it and go back the other way. Sometimes those two teeth are moving backwards. I still wear my retainers everyday-it's the only way to get my teeth to feel okay sometimes and put them in a stable position for a few hours. It's not guaranteed to work either.
It also messed up my facial symmetry. My teeth were far from perfect before, but my face was handsome, and it didn't have pain. I was never called Ugly until afterwards. Most people call me ugly now. I also feel the same alot of the time. I just wish I would have been more mature when I was younger, mature enough to realize that we can't all have a perfect smile/body. Now I sometimes look back on what I used to have with envy. My attitude towards all this is what I can control, I don't always feel this way. But my mouth is usually in discomfort/pain, that I cannot control. Some days I almost cannot stand it.
There is simply too many posts for me to read through. Has anyone had a similar experience? What did you do?? Do you bear with it, is there a fix?
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laurie2tired
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:53 pm
Re: SARPE Surgery
gennevie77,
I am 8 months post-op and just got my RPE out two days ago. I understand the freak out about the gap, but just embrace it as part of the process to an improved you. I had to turn to a 13 mm and it was maintained for 60 days after my final turn. My ortho was kind enough to provide my with a false tooth in the space during this time period, but when it was time to start closing the gap I had to deal with it again. I generally did nothing with this space, but there were a few occasions that I used dental wax to fill the gap. The use of dental wax takes some practice and has to wait until the gap is somewhat smaller but it was helpful.
I am 8 months post-op and just got my RPE out two days ago. I understand the freak out about the gap, but just embrace it as part of the process to an improved you. I had to turn to a 13 mm and it was maintained for 60 days after my final turn. My ortho was kind enough to provide my with a false tooth in the space during this time period, but when it was time to start closing the gap I had to deal with it again. I generally did nothing with this space, but there were a few occasions that I used dental wax to fill the gap. The use of dental wax takes some practice and has to wait until the gap is somewhat smaller but it was helpful.
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Marriedonmaui
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 1:31 pm
Re: SARPE Surgery
Metalmouth33- I am new to this forum but I want you to know I feel the same way. Everyday I look in the mirror hoping my face has changed back. I'm early in the process but I am dissapointed. My face is so round now and my nose is a mess. I am obsessed with looking at old pictures and comparing. It's boardering on obsession. Thank god nobody has told me I look ugly(I cant believe someone would say that) but I have heard "you don't look like you, maybe you're still swollen". Hmmmn that reads to me like I looked better before. My husband is super supportive but here is my dilemma, do I get the lower surgery or call it? I don't know if I can handle anymore facial changes. Should have left things alone and felt with problems as they came along.
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Metalmouth33
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 10:53 am
Re: SARPE Surgery
--Marriedonmaui,
Yes, it does suck being called ugly. A couple times it came from members of my family, which stings more because you feel they are more likely to be honest with you. On more than one occasion, someone I knew beforehand looked at me post-surgery in shock., I am long past the point of swelling, so maybe for you it will be better in a few months. I was a little socially anxious before-hand, now you can just imagine my plight
The change in appearances is one thing to contend with. Couple that with the pain in my mouth as a result of the sarpe, which sounds like nerve damage, then for me with my case I'm almost dead certain I would have made the decision to leave everything alone if I had known this was the result. I don't even think I even really needed a sarpe. I had an underbite, but my palate wasn't too narrow for my molars to line up properly. I don't ever recall having had problems with functionality, so I think I could have just left everything alone without any problems. The pain alone is reason enough for me to want to take it all back. Even if it made me beautiful, which it did not, I would not want to be beautiful and stuck with this throbbing pain that comes and goes in varying degrees.
Everyone's case is different. I was young, nieve, and too uniformed to make a proper decision last time. And quite possibly, the people who helped me were not the ideal people for my case. Going forward, I would not recommend anything that could risk your quality of life unless it was going to fix something that was already affecting you. I.e. chewing/breathing/whatever other problems can arise.
Yes, it does suck being called ugly. A couple times it came from members of my family, which stings more because you feel they are more likely to be honest with you. On more than one occasion, someone I knew beforehand looked at me post-surgery in shock., I am long past the point of swelling, so maybe for you it will be better in a few months. I was a little socially anxious before-hand, now you can just imagine my plight
The change in appearances is one thing to contend with. Couple that with the pain in my mouth as a result of the sarpe, which sounds like nerve damage, then for me with my case I'm almost dead certain I would have made the decision to leave everything alone if I had known this was the result. I don't even think I even really needed a sarpe. I had an underbite, but my palate wasn't too narrow for my molars to line up properly. I don't ever recall having had problems with functionality, so I think I could have just left everything alone without any problems. The pain alone is reason enough for me to want to take it all back. Even if it made me beautiful, which it did not, I would not want to be beautiful and stuck with this throbbing pain that comes and goes in varying degrees.
Everyone's case is different. I was young, nieve, and too uniformed to make a proper decision last time. And quite possibly, the people who helped me were not the ideal people for my case. Going forward, I would not recommend anything that could risk your quality of life unless it was going to fix something that was already affecting you. I.e. chewing/breathing/whatever other problems can arise.
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Marriedonmaui
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 1:31 pm
Re: SARPE Surgery
Metalmouth33- I am sorry to hear you are in pain. I don't think you were naive. What I've found is that the information surgical patients are given is not complete or very involved. My ortho and surgeon seem to be relaying information through me which is irritating. I know them both outside of this procedure which makes it hard to stand up for myself. I recently retired from the dental field and in 17 years I never saw a rpe patient or a surgical rpe (we had an older clientele) I know a lot about dentistry yet very little about othognathic surgical stuff. Sometimes I feel like they think I know a lot and that is why they are so vague. I specifically asked about facial changes and was told they would be very minimal if at all. Ha! I have decided against the lower surgery. I know I will still have an open bite but I don't care at this point. I've had two years of braces on my poor teeth that have blunted roots from previous ortho. Im over it, plus I'd have to pay cash for my surgery that comes out to almost 25 thousand dollars. (My insurance says absolutely no, despite my sleep apnea test and a recommendation from ear, nose, throat). Waiting for my next orthodontist appointment to see how he responds to the news. Kind of nervous about it but I remind myself it's my body and I have to live with it. Hoping you're doing well.
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Marriedonmaui
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 1:31 pm
Re: SARPE Surgery
To all 
- I'm not posting this negative stuff to scare anyone. If surgery is best for you then go for it. This is just my experience and I needed a place to let my experience out. Ask lots of questions and be an informed patient. Be specific with your questions so you don't get vague answers. Best wishes to you all in your quest for a beautiful smile.
- I'm not posting this negative stuff to scare anyone. If surgery is best for you then go for it. This is just my experience and I needed a place to let my experience out. Ask lots of questions and be an informed patient. Be specific with your questions so you don't get vague answers. Best wishes to you all in your quest for a beautiful smile.Re: SARPE Surgery
I don't know if anyone will read this but I'll try -- I've been expanding for two weeks and my expansion is asymmetric: right side has expanded more than left side. Ortho told me to stop expanding because he doesn't want the right side to get to a point where he can't bring the teeth back, and he said he can pull the left side teeth out. Oral Surgeon said it is also okay, and that the braces will fix it. But I'm still concerned about this...
Any other case you know of asymmetrical expansion that was fixed with braces?
Any other case you know of asymmetrical expansion that was fixed with braces?
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Metalmouth33
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 10:53 am
Re: SARPE Surgery
^^ Daycard, this somewhat happened to me after my surgery. My midline was slightly off center before surgery, and when I started to do the turns the gap appeared in the same of center spot as well, but more off center than my midline originally was. I'm not sure why it expanded like this, and maybe it's a little different than your exact situation, but I still had an asymmetrical expansion to deal with. The ortho used braces and elastics to pull these teeth back to a more central position. Yes the ortho could fix this, WHILE I WAS IN BRACES. But post braces my teeth are constantly trying to shift back. I wear my retainer everyday because if I go longer than a day w/o them my midline moves back slightly, and the position is not ideal as it is not centered, it feels very uncomfortable (it's not that discomfort I mentioned in my post above btw).
So, yea, the ortho can fix it a bit. But if the skeletal changes are too much, I think you teeth will always try to shift back in line with how the bones are. Since you are only 2 weeks post-op I also think you are within a timeframe that you can make permanent fixes. It sounds like your ortho/surgeon is doing the right job by telling you to stop.
So, yea, the ortho can fix it a bit. But if the skeletal changes are too much, I think you teeth will always try to shift back in line with how the bones are. Since you are only 2 weeks post-op I also think you are within a timeframe that you can make permanent fixes. It sounds like your ortho/surgeon is doing the right job by telling you to stop.
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Metalmouth33
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 10:53 am
Re: SARPE Surgery
-marriedonmaui
-Yes I agree, at least with the ortho/surgeons i dealt with; there was not alot of information given. I was blind throughout the entire experience, it wasn't until recently that I begun to fully understand what I did and what the risks were.
I think my surgeon was just highly incompetent, negligent, and bordering on a malpractice suit. This is shocking to say because in the area I had the surgery he is highly recommended and respected. I'm sure he is a skilled surgeon, and that he has genuinely changed some lives for the better, but I am still convinced that he is at fault for all of the pain I am in.
This literally happened: 5minutes before surgery he mentions "some people have numbess", and then gets me to sign a form saying I waiver the right to sue him. I was already in the hospital gown and in the waiting room before the operating room. That was the only time he warned me of this, and it wasn't even a warning, it was a nonchalant mentioning of 'something' not even close to what I am experiencing. He didn't explain what could happen at all. Clearly he didn't give me enough time to process the information, and that information wasn't full anyways. The same could be said of any of the other results of the surgery. He didn't talk about them at all. He never once showed me any before or afters of people who had this surgery. He never once mentioned any statistics like "5% of the patients receive minor nerve damage".
He just told me he could help me, and that this was the way to do it. Oh it sucks to be young and nieve. It sucks to know nothing and then take everyone's word on faith.
I will give it some more time though. If my ailments don't get better on their own, or if I cannot find a way to treat them I likely will sue the surgeon. Him and society should know that what he did was wrong. A lawsuit would be an effective means of communicating that. It's not enough to merely express my feelings, it doesn't fix what went wrong. An action should be taken so that he can correct himself, and so that society will try to help correct him as well. The fact that he is respected within his community presses the need for a lawsuit even more. If he is not giving people enough information, and they are trusting him anyways? That is a huge problem.
-Yes I agree, at least with the ortho/surgeons i dealt with; there was not alot of information given. I was blind throughout the entire experience, it wasn't until recently that I begun to fully understand what I did and what the risks were.
I think my surgeon was just highly incompetent, negligent, and bordering on a malpractice suit. This is shocking to say because in the area I had the surgery he is highly recommended and respected. I'm sure he is a skilled surgeon, and that he has genuinely changed some lives for the better, but I am still convinced that he is at fault for all of the pain I am in.
This literally happened: 5minutes before surgery he mentions "some people have numbess", and then gets me to sign a form saying I waiver the right to sue him. I was already in the hospital gown and in the waiting room before the operating room. That was the only time he warned me of this, and it wasn't even a warning, it was a nonchalant mentioning of 'something' not even close to what I am experiencing. He didn't explain what could happen at all. Clearly he didn't give me enough time to process the information, and that information wasn't full anyways. The same could be said of any of the other results of the surgery. He didn't talk about them at all. He never once showed me any before or afters of people who had this surgery. He never once mentioned any statistics like "5% of the patients receive minor nerve damage".
He just told me he could help me, and that this was the way to do it. Oh it sucks to be young and nieve. It sucks to know nothing and then take everyone's word on faith.
I will give it some more time though. If my ailments don't get better on their own, or if I cannot find a way to treat them I likely will sue the surgeon. Him and society should know that what he did was wrong. A lawsuit would be an effective means of communicating that. It's not enough to merely express my feelings, it doesn't fix what went wrong. An action should be taken so that he can correct himself, and so that society will try to help correct him as well. The fact that he is respected within his community presses the need for a lawsuit even more. If he is not giving people enough information, and they are trusting him anyways? That is a huge problem.
Re: SARPE Surgery
Hi everybody,
I had a smile distractor placed 1.5 weeks ago. Started turning the expander last friday and now I'm up to 6 mm after only 10 turns (that I did myself, during surgery they turned to 2mm).
I'm thinking that's pretty fast... or is that normal? This means that by friday i already should have the 7mm that my Ortho suggested.
I had my mind set on turning 30 to 40 times.
I didn't have much pain the first week but now I'm getting all sorts of pains, stings etc.. I'm already in braces (4 months now) and my lower teeth hurt like never before.
Also, my gap isn't central. My midline is way off, almost a whole tooth. This started to happen when I was in braces. Before braces my midline was okay.
Did anybody else experience that too? Because I'm started to get a bit worried about it.
I had a smile distractor placed 1.5 weeks ago. Started turning the expander last friday and now I'm up to 6 mm after only 10 turns (that I did myself, during surgery they turned to 2mm).
I'm thinking that's pretty fast... or is that normal? This means that by friday i already should have the 7mm that my Ortho suggested.
I had my mind set on turning 30 to 40 times.
I didn't have much pain the first week but now I'm getting all sorts of pains, stings etc.. I'm already in braces (4 months now) and my lower teeth hurt like never before.
Also, my gap isn't central. My midline is way off, almost a whole tooth. This started to happen when I was in braces. Before braces my midline was okay.
Did anybody else experience that too? Because I'm started to get a bit worried about it.
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Marriedonmaui
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 1:31 pm
Re: SARPE Surgery
Hi- I ended up going to the orthodontist. He was a bit short when I discussed not getting the next surgery. I was frustrated and asked what would be the next step if I proceeded. He then said, "you've seen him(the surgeon?) enough to know what's happening". He then told me I needed a lefort procedure. I then informed him the surgeon recommended a bsso not lefort. I was frustrated, he was frustrated, and the surgeons office was frustrated when I called them later. I saw the surgeon today to get a definitive answer and he told me I can go either way. He told me some pros and cons of both but when I asked point blank at the end he said he needed to talk to ortho. Ya think???? I will say I'm getting used to my post Sarpe appearance and my supportive husband is a godsend. I'm just stuck right now trying to figure out what to do. Also my gums/lips are still numb 3 months out. I'm going to seek a third independent source in the next couple weeks. Sorry I'm so negative, just trying to get this sorted.
Re: SARPE Surgery
I'm so frustrated...I stopped expanding over 2 months ago and my gap hasn't budged. I even had a power chain put on two weeks ago and still no movement! I thought power chains were supposed to work crazy fast?? Any other SARPE victims had a gap for this long? Is something wrong with me? Should I be concerned?
Re: SARPE Surgery
I had SARPE November 2016, and I had a very wide gap (3mm). It lasted for id say 3 months without a power chain but that should help. It's annoying but can be reoccurring throughout treatment, I got another gap a while after my first one closed again. Goodluck.
Re: SARPE Surgery
Okay so it's been quite sometime since I contributed to a message board (96? 97?), and I'm not sure I am doing it correctly.
I really appreciate this forum so far, great info and guidance.
I am trying to decide if SARPE is right for me. I've been a mouth-breather, especially when sleeping, from way back due to allergies as a kid... left me with a very high and narrow palate. Ortho and surgeon both say I am a good candidate and will like my results much better if I "have it done right", meaning SARPE first. Ortho seems very committed towards surgery first but understands my hesitation. He claims he can do it without, but it's like putting new tires on an axle that needs alignment.
I am very torn. In moments I think, go for it! and then I read some of the more negative reviews here.
I know no one can make the decision but me. I would like to hear from those of you who had a malocclusion/bad bite due to mouth-breathing. What were your results long-term? Do you still breath with your mouth open at night? Is there a risk it will narrow again if this is the case?
TIA
RFX
I really appreciate this forum so far, great info and guidance.
I am trying to decide if SARPE is right for me. I've been a mouth-breather, especially when sleeping, from way back due to allergies as a kid... left me with a very high and narrow palate. Ortho and surgeon both say I am a good candidate and will like my results much better if I "have it done right", meaning SARPE first. Ortho seems very committed towards surgery first but understands my hesitation. He claims he can do it without, but it's like putting new tires on an axle that needs alignment.
I am very torn. In moments I think, go for it! and then I read some of the more negative reviews here.
I know no one can make the decision but me. I would like to hear from those of you who had a malocclusion/bad bite due to mouth-breathing. What were your results long-term? Do you still breath with your mouth open at night? Is there a risk it will narrow again if this is the case?
TIA
RFX