that's awesome, brandy. so glad you are getting some relief from the expander. wow, where there is a will to find some comfort, there is a way. my tongue doesn't seem to interact with the appliance too much anymore, but i haven't really had solid food for a long time and i know when i was, it took a lot from my tongue to manage the food.
i am so happy for you.
yup, i am having bsso. i can't really find too much information about it. i heard that you have more swelling with this lower surgery than upper jaw, but i can't figure out why that would be. my surgeon has said i will just have bands for a week. apparently, this is an area of specialty for him and what he has published most on. they said i didn't need to do anything else, no chin. i am however wondering if i should have my nose shaped a little more while i am going for all of this. i have heard of many people doing this, but when i think about it, it seems like it would be miserable, since you really only have your nose to breathe comfortably from. i am already trying to determine what i would need for post-care. my family live in the mid-west and don't fly and i hate to bother friends with stuff like this. for the sarpe i just hired a health assistant who was only with me the first day. otherwise, i was fine. i don't know if i can expect the same from the next surgery. i do know that i will be staying overnight for that one.
nothing much new to report from my end otherwise. feel pretty much back to normal. i am going to actually get back into my intense cardio workouts on saturday, i have only been doing power yoga up to this point for fear i would delay my recovery process. my gap remains as open as ever. no movement whatsoever. i just feel like people are appalled by it, ,but maybe that's just my imagination.
have a great day, everyone.
SARPE Surgery
Moderator: bbsadmin
=(
My upper jaw is narrow and one side is way more narrower than the other. It sounds stupid but its true. One side of my upper jaw is more dented in than the other and its causing my face to look weird and lop sided. soundsbad huh? 
Do you guys think the SARPE surgery can correct it?
Do you guys think the SARPE surgery can correct it?
Lina - I may not be the best person to answer this question as I am new here myself, but I can tell you what my OS told me. In my case I have a crossbite on one side. When I asked about how this is going to work as SARPE expands equally on both sides the Dr. said that in my case the lower teeth have shifted quite a bit in order to find a bite. After the lowers are straightened I will have a crossbite on both sides. My face is also a bit crooked. My jaw on one side is longer than the other,there is more surface area on one cheek, and my chin is left of center - none of which really bothered me untill all the these Dr.s strated pointing in out at regular intervals 
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Brandyleigh35
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So can I gripe a bit about my sister? I just got off the phone with my much much older sister (meow) and told her about how I am contemplating SARPE. She told me that I definatly should not do it. She said, "Think about how many years you have left to live after all. It wouldn't be worth it." I'm 38. I never expected such a negative reaction from anyone much less my much much older sister. I think if I do this that I won't even tell my family. I'll just wait till I see them and see if they notice anything. No support is better than negitive comments isn't it?
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
- Location: Alaska
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Delag,
You have got to be kidding! The average life expectancy for women is about 80 years old or more now. The way I figure it that is another 42 years or more to live. Longer than you have even been alive already!
I'm currently 42 and I plan to live at least another 40+ so that is a long time to go with a messed up bite if you ask me! Bottom line, if you decide to do this you are doing it for yourself. You don't need anyone elses approval, and trust me you can get tons of support from this site from others who have gone through it. I have not heard one person yet say they regretted their decision. In fact most are thrilled with their results. Do it for yourself and don't worry about what every one else thinks.
Brandy
You have got to be kidding! The average life expectancy for women is about 80 years old or more now. The way I figure it that is another 42 years or more to live. Longer than you have even been alive already!
I'm currently 42 and I plan to live at least another 40+ so that is a long time to go with a messed up bite if you ask me! Bottom line, if you decide to do this you are doing it for yourself. You don't need anyone elses approval, and trust me you can get tons of support from this site from others who have gone through it. I have not heard one person yet say they regretted their decision. In fact most are thrilled with their results. Do it for yourself and don't worry about what every one else thinks.
Brandy
Delag,
Omigosh, you should have told her to shove it. Brandy is totally right, you have to do this for yourself. People should help lift you up and support you.... You should definately go see an oral surgeon about this. He might recommend a different procedure or he might think SARPE is the way to go. Either way, make sure you get all the information before making a decision and don't let anyone discourage you from finding out about all your options.
Lina,
If your jaw is too small than SARPE might be your choice. They might also be able to fix the bite using rubber bands on the braces. You should definately go see an OS. I put off seeing an oral surgeon until I exhausted every other way to fix my teeth, including veneers. I probably would NEVER have gone to an oral surgeon, but when i went to my Ortho Consult and the OS happened to work with the Orthodontist office, so I had a double consult. I THANK God that I spoke with the surgeon about this and I thank God I had enough courage to do it. The sooner you start the sooner you will be done with everything!!
Kballing,
I totally feel you on the gap thing! Sometimes it hurts to look at myself. I ususally wear the wax in the space when i'm around people, unless its my family, boyfriend, or close friends. Its just something that people are not used to seeing. Check out my link, it will make you feel better. Also, try posting a new forum for BSSO. you might get some luck and get information from others.
Well, as for me... I feel like my gap is closing SLOWLY, but surely. I hope I will have enough room for them to put a fake tooth in... that sounds so weird saying, but that was a bonus in this surgery for me. Like I said, I'm missing the tooth on the left of my front left tooth, and they said the space the surgery created would make it easier to put in a fake tooth. ONLY 3 weeks until my next ortho appointment!! It can't go fast enough!!
Well, I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!!
Omigosh, you should have told her to shove it. Brandy is totally right, you have to do this for yourself. People should help lift you up and support you.... You should definately go see an oral surgeon about this. He might recommend a different procedure or he might think SARPE is the way to go. Either way, make sure you get all the information before making a decision and don't let anyone discourage you from finding out about all your options.
Lina,
If your jaw is too small than SARPE might be your choice. They might also be able to fix the bite using rubber bands on the braces. You should definately go see an OS. I put off seeing an oral surgeon until I exhausted every other way to fix my teeth, including veneers. I probably would NEVER have gone to an oral surgeon, but when i went to my Ortho Consult and the OS happened to work with the Orthodontist office, so I had a double consult. I THANK God that I spoke with the surgeon about this and I thank God I had enough courage to do it. The sooner you start the sooner you will be done with everything!!
Kballing,
I totally feel you on the gap thing! Sometimes it hurts to look at myself. I ususally wear the wax in the space when i'm around people, unless its my family, boyfriend, or close friends. Its just something that people are not used to seeing. Check out my link, it will make you feel better. Also, try posting a new forum for BSSO. you might get some luck and get information from others.
Well, as for me... I feel like my gap is closing SLOWLY, but surely. I hope I will have enough room for them to put a fake tooth in... that sounds so weird saying, but that was a bonus in this surgery for me. Like I said, I'm missing the tooth on the left of my front left tooth, and they said the space the surgery created would make it easier to put in a fake tooth. ONLY 3 weeks until my next ortho appointment!! It can't go fast enough!!
Well, I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!!
Thanks Mia. YOu are (of course) 100% right. Now I wish I had told her to shove it, but at least I will always be younger than her 
I already have had a consult with a couple of orthos and an OS. They all say SARPE is the way to go. Right now I am just waiting for my cost est. from the OS to see if I can afford it. No, no ins. coverage.
Wednesday I go in for a root canal, and then two weeks later I have to have a crown lengthening. (All of this necessary because of my old incomptent dentist). The OS is doing the lengthening surgery so hopefully by then I will have enough info to make some plans.
I already have had a consult with a couple of orthos and an OS. They all say SARPE is the way to go. Right now I am just waiting for my cost est. from the OS to see if I can afford it. No, no ins. coverage.
Wednesday I go in for a root canal, and then two weeks later I have to have a crown lengthening. (All of this necessary because of my old incomptent dentist). The OS is doing the lengthening surgery so hopefully by then I will have enough info to make some plans.
hi all,
hope you are having a great day. it is a beautiful day in boston and gives me hope that summer is on its way. this also makes me even more excited about this process. however, i can say that my gap has not even budged, not even a mm. it is still as wide and ridiculous as it was last week. it has been 1 week since i stopped expanding and i guess i should just let it do its thing, - a watched pot never boils, huh?
brandy, unbelievably i had the same thing happening with me clenching my jaw when i slept and had a terrible headache from it a few days ago. this was odd, since i have never grinded my teeth or clenched my jaw before. i wonder why the mouth feels compelled to do this after the surgery? i did some relaxation before i went to sleep last night and it was fine this morning. guess i will just have to be a little bit more conscience of it.
today was my first real day of intense exercise and it all went fine. i can see i lost a lot of cardio capacity during the past 3 weeks, but i am hoping that will build right back up again. i had still been so reluctant to do all of the jumping and such during the kickboxing work-out but i think i don't think it caused any problems. i did notice i got light-headed by the time i got to yoga, but that just might have been me. i tend to have low blood pressure and this sometimes happens.
i sent my family pix of the gap last night and when i spoke to them this morning, they just couldn't get over how big it is. they were like, "i know you said it was big, but wow wow wow." i had a good laugh about it, which is really my stance on all of this now, cuz it is kind of funny really. i don't want to take it all too seriously. i even got them laughing about it a bit.
so, no real changes from my end. i get braced one week from tuesday and am getting excited about that. any suggestions for preparing for that from any of you? did you take pain reliever before you went in?
things are really really picking up at work and i just can't take any time off right now, so i need to prevent whatever pain or distraction i can.
thanks so much. hope you all are doing great!
hope you are having a great day. it is a beautiful day in boston and gives me hope that summer is on its way. this also makes me even more excited about this process. however, i can say that my gap has not even budged, not even a mm. it is still as wide and ridiculous as it was last week. it has been 1 week since i stopped expanding and i guess i should just let it do its thing, - a watched pot never boils, huh?
brandy, unbelievably i had the same thing happening with me clenching my jaw when i slept and had a terrible headache from it a few days ago. this was odd, since i have never grinded my teeth or clenched my jaw before. i wonder why the mouth feels compelled to do this after the surgery? i did some relaxation before i went to sleep last night and it was fine this morning. guess i will just have to be a little bit more conscience of it.
today was my first real day of intense exercise and it all went fine. i can see i lost a lot of cardio capacity during the past 3 weeks, but i am hoping that will build right back up again. i had still been so reluctant to do all of the jumping and such during the kickboxing work-out but i think i don't think it caused any problems. i did notice i got light-headed by the time i got to yoga, but that just might have been me. i tend to have low blood pressure and this sometimes happens.
i sent my family pix of the gap last night and when i spoke to them this morning, they just couldn't get over how big it is. they were like, "i know you said it was big, but wow wow wow." i had a good laugh about it, which is really my stance on all of this now, cuz it is kind of funny really. i don't want to take it all too seriously. i even got them laughing about it a bit.
so, no real changes from my end. i get braced one week from tuesday and am getting excited about that. any suggestions for preparing for that from any of you? did you take pain reliever before you went in?
things are really really picking up at work and i just can't take any time off right now, so i need to prevent whatever pain or distraction i can.
thanks so much. hope you all are doing great!
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Brandyleigh35
- Posts: 1018
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:25 pm
- Location: Alaska
- Contact:
Hey K,
I was originally born in Mass. and love Boston! Sorry to hear your gap hasn't budged but I feel your pain. Although my gap is quite a bit smaller than yours it really hasn't moved too much in the last week either. My dh doesn't think it is going to close on its own. Since I still have 7 more weeks til I go back to the ortho, I'm hoping he is wrong as I don't want to have to wear a power chain on my front teeth! It is great that you don't take yourself to seriously and can just laugh about it. I feel the same way.....it is such aPersonally I just can't wait to get this RPE out, it is defintely a torture device in this whole process!
Glad to hear you are back to your exercise routine. Just be sure and listen to your body. If you are tired take a break, I have noticed that my body will tell me when I have overdone it, so just listen to what it is telling you.
As for getting your braces on, the first day is not that bad, day two is worse. Take a couple Advil or Motrin before you go, and then take a couple every 4 hours the first day and the second day as needed for pain. For me the first 3 weeks were the worst. The pain was on again off again as the teeth got used to the pressure and it would migrate daily. You will be fine at work, I didn't take any time off with mine. Just be sure and keep plenty of wax on hand as your mouth may start to become sore after a couple of days. Also, gargling with salt water a few times a day really helps toughen up the skin in your mouth. I did this a lot and it really did help. Other than that, there is not much else to tell....oh, soft foods for a couple days (but you are probably already doing that) and you may have trouble flossing and brushing your teeth due to sensitivity. Just be gentle and do what you can. It won't last for two long and you will be back to normal. Who knows you may be one of those people that has no pain.....you will just have to see, but these things will help for sure if you do!
Delag, I hope you are able to figure out all the cost expense stuff and proceed with your plan. I'm sure you won't regret it and will feel better about yourself and happy with your results.
Mia, sounds like things are progressing well. I hope you get the space you need for that tooth, AND I'm glad that your gap is starting to close up. I know what you mean about the OD appointment not being able to come soon enough. I feel that way about mine. My next one is May 22 (7 weeks away) and I get this blasted RPE replaced with a TPA. I cannot wait....it feels like it is totally dragging on forever! I so want this sucker out of my mouth! LOL..
Well ladies, I'm doing well, feeling better today, no more cold symptoms and more energy. I think I was just run down and dehydrated. Anyway things are going well and I'm just plugging along. My tongue is still sore but other than that life is good! Have a great day ladies and I will gab with you all a bit later.
Brandy
I was originally born in Mass. and love Boston! Sorry to hear your gap hasn't budged but I feel your pain. Although my gap is quite a bit smaller than yours it really hasn't moved too much in the last week either. My dh doesn't think it is going to close on its own. Since I still have 7 more weeks til I go back to the ortho, I'm hoping he is wrong as I don't want to have to wear a power chain on my front teeth! It is great that you don't take yourself to seriously and can just laugh about it. I feel the same way.....it is such aPersonally I just can't wait to get this RPE out, it is defintely a torture device in this whole process!
Glad to hear you are back to your exercise routine. Just be sure and listen to your body. If you are tired take a break, I have noticed that my body will tell me when I have overdone it, so just listen to what it is telling you.
As for getting your braces on, the first day is not that bad, day two is worse. Take a couple Advil or Motrin before you go, and then take a couple every 4 hours the first day and the second day as needed for pain. For me the first 3 weeks were the worst. The pain was on again off again as the teeth got used to the pressure and it would migrate daily. You will be fine at work, I didn't take any time off with mine. Just be sure and keep plenty of wax on hand as your mouth may start to become sore after a couple of days. Also, gargling with salt water a few times a day really helps toughen up the skin in your mouth. I did this a lot and it really did help. Other than that, there is not much else to tell....oh, soft foods for a couple days (but you are probably already doing that) and you may have trouble flossing and brushing your teeth due to sensitivity. Just be gentle and do what you can. It won't last for two long and you will be back to normal. Who knows you may be one of those people that has no pain.....you will just have to see, but these things will help for sure if you do!
Delag, I hope you are able to figure out all the cost expense stuff and proceed with your plan. I'm sure you won't regret it and will feel better about yourself and happy with your results.
Mia, sounds like things are progressing well. I hope you get the space you need for that tooth, AND I'm glad that your gap is starting to close up. I know what you mean about the OD appointment not being able to come soon enough. I feel that way about mine. My next one is May 22 (7 weeks away) and I get this blasted RPE replaced with a TPA. I cannot wait....it feels like it is totally dragging on forever! I so want this sucker out of my mouth! LOL..
Well ladies, I'm doing well, feeling better today, no more cold symptoms and more energy. I think I was just run down and dehydrated. Anyway things are going well and I'm just plugging along. My tongue is still sore but other than that life is good! Have a great day ladies and I will gab with you all a bit later.
Brandy
MY JAW.
Heres a picture of my jaw.
Narrow huh? They're gonna have to widen it alot.
Now that I can really see it and stupid it rather than holding my mouth open and looking in the mirror. lol I can really study it now. It look gross and way to underdeveloped. It looks like a toddlers jaw and Im 17. 
Narrow huh? They're gonna have to widen it alot.
Now that I can really see it and stupid it rather than holding my mouth open and looking in the mirror. lol I can really study it now. It look gross and way to underdeveloped. It looks like a toddlers jaw and Im 17.
My friends jaw.
Heres a picture of my friends jaw. Her jaw is perfect. Her teeth are perfect. This perfectly normal jaw compared to mine is a HUGE diffrence.
Hopefully after I have all my work done and surgeries ( i have to have more than 1 ) my jaws will be normal. 
Hopefully after I have all my work done and surgeries ( i have to have more than 1 ) my jaws will be normal.
Lina - if I were you I would go consult with a couple of orthodontists. Because you are only 17 they might still be able to do something without surgery. There is another thread on the board where Candy shares a bit of her expierence with her expansion with just an RPE...."Orthodontic expansion vs. surgery? Help!"- it is about 10 posts down on the board.
I would consult with 2 or 3 orthos because they all have their own ideas and methods. I went to three - one was way out there and the other two told me basicly the same thing, but they went about it in slightly different ways. That is just my .02 (which isn't worth too much as I am a newbie too).
I would consult with 2 or 3 orthos because they all have their own ideas and methods. I went to three - one was way out there and the other two told me basicly the same thing, but they went about it in slightly different ways. That is just my .02 (which isn't worth too much as I am a newbie too).
Delag wrote:Lina - if I were you I would go consult with a couple of orthodontists. Because you are only 17 they might still be able to do something without surgery. There is another thread on the board where Candy shares a bit of her expierence with her expansion with just an RPE...."Orthodontic expansion vs. surgery? Help!"- it is about 10 posts down on the board.
I would consult with 2 or 3 orthos because they all have their own ideas and methods. I went to three - one was way out there and the other two told me basicly the same thing, but they went about it in slightly different ways. That is just my .02 (which isn't worth too much as I am a newbie too).
They said they'd rather do the surgery so that it will be permanant. With surgery my jaw can calaspe back but surgery spits the bone so that it wont calapse back.