Re: Quad-helix and other medieval torture devices

[Guest guest]

Hi Laen,

It sounds like a palate expander... Give some more description, it

may be a new torture device that we are not familiar with.

Unless you are 12, the only way a palate expander is going to work is

with surgical intervention...

[Guest guest]

Hi julie,

It's a palate expander, I think. Here you have a photo of it

http://www.jeffriesorthodontics.com/quad_helix.htm

> Unless you are 12, the only way a palate expander is going to work

is with surgical intervention...

That's just what I thought about this kind of expanders. I'm 23 and

thought this Quad-helix could only be used on teenagers. I'm a bit

confused. I heard my ortho saying that probably he could get around

6?mm with it, but that half of it would be lost because it would

relapse. Originally I thought they would do a segmented lefort

instead of a regular one to fix my crossbite. Maybe I need so little

expansion that it can be achieve with this only...don't know :-?

Thanks for your help :-)

*Laen* (Talking funny)

[Guest guest]

Hey Laen,

I think you have the non-surgical sort. The surgical one looks like

a four legged spider with a screw in the middle. Plus, you get a

little wrench to crank it wider daily.

It seems to me that the device you have will work by moving or

pushing your teeth outward making the arch wider. No extra bone

growth required like mine.

They tend to overcorrect problems so that if you do relapse a few mm

you are still wide enough. When do you see your surgeon? I am sure

he can tell you more-whether or not you will have a segmented lefort.

[Guest guest]

Hey, Laen,

That looks much nicer than the one I wore when I was 16!! It was

more of the " four-legged spider with a screw in the middle " kind that

ladybelkus described. Although, when I had it, the " body " of the

spider was much bigger than a screw!! Talk about talking funny!!

Anyway, it didn't work for me. If it did...I definitely relapsed.

My surgery will be expanding my upper during surgery on the 10th.

Best of luck!!

-- In orthognathicsurgerysupport@y..., laen_22 <no_reply@y...> wrote:

> Hi everyone!

>

> Just came back from my last ortho appointment. It was a looooong

> one, around 1 hour with my ortho and his assistants looking,

> touching, tinkering, stripping teeth... you get the idea.

>

> At one moment they started to talk about my crossbite. I managed to

> understand something about extruded molars and my ortho explaining

> his staff it was better to try a non-surgical approach (the

> alternative is sarpe I think) but I'm mostly in the dark.

Afterwards

> they put some bizarre medieval torture device in my palate, I think

> it's name is a quad-helix.

>

> Anyone has this and wants to enlighten me? :-)

>

> Thanks!

>

> *Laen*

[Guest guest]

Hello, i once had something similar to that a few years back. It

would attach to the roof of my mouth, by attaching to my molars, and

would leave not much room for my tongue to move around in. I would

have to use a key everyday, to expand the mechanism's width. It

helped make my upper jaw wider. And it caused a big 'ol gap in

between my front teeth.

-Ema

> Hi everyone!

>

> Just came back from my last ortho appointment. It was a looooong

> one, around 1 hour with my ortho and his assistants looking,

> touching, tinkering, stripping teeth... you get the idea.

>

> At one moment they started to talk about my crossbite. I managed

to

> understand something about extruded molars and my ortho explaining

> his staff it was better to try a non-surgical approach (the

> alternative is sarpe I think) but I'm mostly in the dark.

Afterwards

> they put some bizarre medieval torture device in my palate, I

think

> it's name is a quad-helix.

>

> Anyone has this and wants to enlighten me? :-)

>

> Thanks!

>

> *Laen*

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

>When do you see your surgeon? I am sure

> he can tell you more-whether or not you will have a segmented

lefort.

It will be some time till I see my surgeon again. I saw her before

getting braces and I don't think I will have another appointment

with her till my teeth are ready for surgery (around december).

Thanks for your help, ! :-)

*Laen* (still talking funny but getting used to it)

[Guest guest]

Hello !

Is it possible that what can be accomplished is a matter of degree? I

am absolutely amazed at what my ortho has accomplished, in terms of

widening and flattening the arches, with brackets and wires.

I had one of those v-shaped mouths, both arches, and he really has

done wonders, with no sarpe.

Believe me, I am grateful and have told him so. I know you say there

was little pain involved, but it still sounds medieval to me.

C.

[Guest guest]

Hi Laen,

I know I am not having a segmented lefort. Nope, I am having just the

plain old gummy-smile-reducing lefort I. I am told about 5 to 6mm.

I had the palatal expansion of 1cm almost one year ago. I go back to

the surgeon on 7/1 for more molds. Then, I go back to the surgeon on

7/8 for the detailed surgical outline and to give blood at the

hospital.

[Guest guest]

Hey Laen,

At your age (23) you may be right on the edge of where a non-surgical

expansion might work out. From the reading I've done on the

newsgroups thats the impression I get.

> Hi julie,

>

> It's a palate expander, I think. Here you have a photo of it

> http://www.jeffriesorthodontics.com/quad_helix.htm

>

> > Unless you are 12, the only way a palate expander is going to

work

> is with surgical intervention...

>

> That's just what I thought about this kind of expanders. I'm 23 and

> thought this Quad-helix could only be used on teenagers. I'm a bit

> confused. I heard my ortho saying that probably he could get around

> 6?mm with it, but that half of it would be lost because it would

> relapse. Originally I thought they would do a segmented lefort

> instead of a regular one to fix my crossbite. Maybe I need so

little

> expansion that it can be achieve with this only...don't know :-?

>

> Thanks for your help :-)

>

> *Laen* (Talking funny)