New here, just had SARPE surgery

[Guest guest]

Hi, I had a surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion surgery done

1 week ago. I was just wondering what experiences anyone here has

had with this.

The first 3 days for me were horrible, couldn't get out of bed and I

was so sick from the anesthesia and other meds they had me on. My

husband wound up having to stay home the rest of the week with me

because there was no way I could take care of the kids. I wound up

having an allergic reaction to the compazine, it caused my jaw to

force itself over to the left and lock up and made my tongue go out

of control, so I was also on Benadryl for a few days while that got

out of my system. By the 5th day I was starting to feel much better

though. I haven't had much pain except on the day of the surgery.

I am still swollen but not very bad and I still have a big bruise on

my left side. I am slowly starting to get used to having the

expander in my mouth...those first couple of days I couldn't stand

it. I was in tears and just wanted it taken out! I am also talking

much better now too.

I was wondering, for anyone who has gone through this, does eating

ever get better? Right now all I can manage to get past the metal

bar across the roof of my mouth is VERY small pieces of noodles

(like crumb size), oatmeal (although that gets stuck too), soup

(broth), milkshakes, and mashed potatoes (very mashed LOL). I also

had two of my lower molars (one on each side) extracted at the same

time so between that and the huge plastic pieces around my upper

teeth chewing isn't working very well at all. I have figured out

that if I put tiny pieces of food, like pasta, in the side of my

mouth and try to mash it as best I can, I can work it around the

side of the metal bar and bypass it...but this is very time

consuming...I eat less than my 2 year old and it takes 5 times as

long! I am now the last one to be sitting at the dinner table and I

have 3 boys. I can't imagine having to eat like this for the next 5

months.

Now, I am starting to freak out about the gap that is forming

between my teeth! It is only at 1 mm now, but I am worried about

how big it is going to get...I don't remember what my orthodontist

said and am going to check with him the next time I go in. But I

was looking at a ruler yesterday and really realized how big it

might get.

Any input or experiences are very welcomed.

Thank you,

Tiana

[Guest guest]

I had SARPE, lower advancement and genio exactly 3 weeks ago. You

should see my gap! Today I passed by my work and everyone kept asking

me if they had pulled a tooth! Some people I explained that they had

expanded my pallete but others I just told that I had taken up

hockeyplaying (you should check out Dammit's list of responses to

these questions, I think it's in files!). My gap is as wide as a

tooth. Right out of surgery, the expander was turned to about 2 mm,

after 5 days my ortho expanded by turning the key 2 mm every day for 5

days. So you could basically see it grow day by day. I have heard that

for some people, the teeth started coming together by themselves after

the turning of the key, but I don't think I'm in that group I'm in

the group where I have to live with the gap for 3 more weeks, and then

I see my ortho again, and then hopefully he's going to start closing

(fingers crossed). It's supposed to close very quickly though, because

everything is so soft there. A couple of days back I started freaking

out a little because I found out how loose my front teeth were, but

that too has passed.

The eating sucks, although i am thrilled to be actually eating soft

foods again. I had a liquid diet for almost 3 weeks, but that's

probably because I also had the lower advancement. I can't chew, I

try! The thing is that because of my expansion, the upper molars don't

touch the lower molars yet. My lower molars are tipped in, so they

touch the iron of the expander. So chewing is definately a challenge

until my ortho starts putting things where they should be!

Nathalie

> Hi, I had a surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion surgery done

> 1 week ago. I was just wondering what experiences anyone here has

> had with this.

>

> The first 3 days for me were horrible, couldn't get out of bed and I

> was so sick from the anesthesia and other meds they had me on. My

> husband wound up having to stay home the rest of the week with me

> because there was no way I could take care of the kids. I wound up

> having an allergic reaction to the compazine, it caused my jaw to

> force itself over to the left and lock up and made my tongue go out

> of control, so I was also on Benadryl for a few days while that got

> out of my system. By the 5th day I was starting to feel much better

> though. I haven't had much pain except on the day of the surgery.

> I am still swollen but not very bad and I still have a big bruise on

> my left side. I am slowly starting to get used to having the

> expander in my mouth...those first couple of days I couldn't stand

> it. I was in tears and just wanted it taken out! I am also talking

> much better now too.

>

> I was wondering, for anyone who has gone through this, does eating

> ever get better? Right now all I can manage to get past the metal

> bar across the roof of my mouth is VERY small pieces of noodles

> (like crumb size), oatmeal (although that gets stuck too), soup

> (broth), milkshakes, and mashed potatoes (very mashed LOL). I also

> had two of my lower molars (one on each side) extracted at the same

> time so between that and the huge plastic pieces around my upper

> teeth chewing isn't working very well at all. I have figured out

> that if I put tiny pieces of food, like pasta, in the side of my

> mouth and try to mash it as best I can, I can work it around the

> side of the metal bar and bypass it...but this is very time

> consuming...I eat less than my 2 year old and it takes 5 times as

> long! I am now the last one to be sitting at the dinner table and I

> have 3 boys. I can't imagine having to eat like this for the next 5

> months.

>

> Now, I am starting to freak out about the gap that is forming

> between my teeth! It is only at 1 mm now, but I am worried about

> how big it is going to get...I don't remember what my orthodontist

> said and am going to check with him the next time I go in. But I

> was looking at a ruler yesterday and really realized how big it

> might get.

>

> Any input or experiences are very welcomed.

>

> Thank you,

>

> Tiana

[Guest guest]

I am lucky I don't have to work at least. I am wondering how long I

will have the gap for. I was told I would have the expander in for

3-5 months, then it would be taken off and I would have my upper

braces put on. So I am thinking my gap won't start to close until

then? I don't know exactly how much it is being turned every day,

other than once in the morning and once at night. I can see a bit

of a difference every day though. I am going in on the 19th to have

the lower braces put on. Well, I already have the brackets on but

nothing else.

Tiana

> > Hi, I had a surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion surgery

done

> > 1 week ago. I was just wondering what experiences anyone here

has

> > had with this.

> >

> > The first 3 days for me were horrible, couldn't get out of bed

and I

> > was so sick from the anesthesia and other meds they had me on.

My

> > husband wound up having to stay home the rest of the week with

me

> > because there was no way I could take care of the kids. I wound

up

> > having an allergic reaction to the compazine, it caused my jaw

to

> > force itself over to the left and lock up and made my tongue go

out

> > of control, so I was also on Benadryl for a few days while that

got

> > out of my system. By the 5th day I was starting to feel much

better

> > though. I haven't had much pain except on the day of the

surgery.

> > I am still swollen but not very bad and I still have a big

bruise on

> > my left side. I am slowly starting to get used to having the

> > expander in my mouth...those first couple of days I couldn't

stand

> > it. I was in tears and just wanted it taken out! I am also

talking

> > much better now too.

> >

> > I was wondering, for anyone who has gone through this, does

eating

> > ever get better? Right now all I can manage to get past the

metal

> > bar across the roof of my mouth is VERY small pieces of noodles

> > (like crumb size), oatmeal (although that gets stuck too), soup

> > (broth), milkshakes, and mashed potatoes (very mashed LOL). I

also

> > had two of my lower molars (one on each side) extracted at the

same

> > time so between that and the huge plastic pieces around my upper

> > teeth chewing isn't working very well at all. I have figured

out

> > that if I put tiny pieces of food, like pasta, in the side of my

> > mouth and try to mash it as best I can, I can work it around the

> > side of the metal bar and bypass it...but this is very time

> > consuming...I eat less than my 2 year old and it takes 5 times

as

> > long! I am now the last one to be sitting at the dinner table

and I

> > have 3 boys. I can't imagine having to eat like this for the

next 5

> > months.

> >

> > Now, I am starting to freak out about the gap that is forming

> > between my teeth! It is only at 1 mm now, but I am worried

about

> > how big it is going to get...I don't remember what my

orthodontist

> > said and am going to check with him the next time I go in. But

I

> > was looking at a ruler yesterday and really realized how big it

> > might get.

> >

> > Any input or experiences are very welcomed.

> >

> > Thank you,

> >

> > Tiana

[Guest guest]

I just read my post again and I just found out I made a bit of a

calculation mistake! My expansion was 1 mm per day, not 2 mm per day

(oups). I guess if I actually had 2 mm expansion per day, I would

look like I would have no teeth in the front at all :-). I just

measured the gap between my front teeth, and it's a whopping 6 mm!

I got upper and lower braces and wires put on from the get-go, the

archwire was split between my 2 front teeth. I'm not sure yet how

long I'll have the expander in, I am assuming 5 months, although I

hope and pray it will be shorter...

As far as I know, they will start to close the gap sooner than your

expander is out, don't worry!

Nathalie

> > > Hi, I had a surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion

surgery

> done

> > > 1 week ago. I was just wondering what experiences anyone here

> has

> > > had with this.

> > >

> > > The first 3 days for me were horrible, couldn't get out of bed

> and I

> > > was so sick from the anesthesia and other meds they had me

on.

> My

> > > husband wound up having to stay home the rest of the week with

> me

> > > because there was no way I could take care of the kids. I

wound

> up

> > > having an allergic reaction to the compazine, it caused my jaw

> to

> > > force itself over to the left and lock up and made my tongue

go

> out

> > > of control, so I was also on Benadryl for a few days while

that

> got

> > > out of my system. By the 5th day I was starting to feel much

> better

> > > though. I haven't had much pain except on the day of the

> surgery.

> > > I am still swollen but not very bad and I still have a big

> bruise on

> > > my left side. I am slowly starting to get used to having the

> > > expander in my mouth...those first couple of days I couldn't

> stand

> > > it. I was in tears and just wanted it taken out! I am also

> talking

> > > much better now too.

> > >

> > > I was wondering, for anyone who has gone through this, does

> eating

> > > ever get better? Right now all I can manage to get past the

> metal

> > > bar across the roof of my mouth is VERY small pieces of

noodles

> > > (like crumb size), oatmeal (although that gets stuck too),

soup

> > > (broth), milkshakes, and mashed potatoes (very mashed LOL). I

> also

> > > had two of my lower molars (one on each side) extracted at the

> same

> > > time so between that and the huge plastic pieces around my

upper

> > > teeth chewing isn't working very well at all. I have figured

> out

> > > that if I put tiny pieces of food, like pasta, in the side of

my

> > > mouth and try to mash it as best I can, I can work it around

the

> > > side of the metal bar and bypass it...but this is very time

> > > consuming...I eat less than my 2 year old and it takes 5 times

> as

> > > long! I am now the last one to be sitting at the dinner table

> and I

> > > have 3 boys. I can't imagine having to eat like this for the

> next 5

> > > months.

> > >

> > > Now, I am starting to freak out about the gap that is forming

> > > between my teeth! It is only at 1 mm now, but I am worried

> about

> > > how big it is going to get...I don't remember what my

> orthodontist

> > > said and am going to check with him the next time I go in.

But

> I

> > > was looking at a ruler yesterday and really realized how big

it

> > > might get.

> > >

> > > Any input or experiences are very welcomed.

> > >

> > > Thank you,

> > >

> > > Tiana