Nothing exciting but I did go in to Dr.Styrt's this morning. Kira took out my spacers and fit the bands for my RPE. I was kind of hoping to actually get to try the whole device in my mouth for a second just to see what I'll be in for but no, the bands around the teeth get fitted separately and then get sent to RPE's-R-Us to be built into the expanding part. Makes sense now that I think about it. And while I was prepared for the rank smell that is food stuck in the spacers it doesn't cease to amaze me how much smell a little piece of whatever foodstuffs can cause. I didn't feel bad about it though because 1) Kira is smart enough to wear a mask and 2) they tell you specifically not to floss near the spacers. So there. You want rotting chicken pieces? You got it.
She gave me some more extras in case I have another escaping bandy while I'm away. I'm getting a touch nervous about the surgery date because I still haven't heard back from The Chainsaw's office. I think he's waiting for me to be approved by the insurance people before he schedules me. I just hope it happens before I get on a plane so I can tell my family what's happening when exactly.
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An Orthognathic Journey
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About Me
- chris k
- San Diego, California, United States
Intro
Hey everyone. I'm a 30 year old who just finished his journey through orthognathic surgery. I've found a lot of people with their own blogs and they've helped me in my decision and understanding of the procedure, so I thought if I could help someone else why not? Hope this helps you.
9 comments:
Hi Chris,
Okay, I am a little confused about the RPE's and the SARPE.... what exactly do those do? Is it to widen the upper jaw? And if so, how come they don't just do it in surgery?
When I had a surgical consult, he said that they would break, widen, and place my upper jaw at the same time as they do the lower jaw...no need for appliances or anything beforehand.
Ok, so, the RPE is the little appliance (aka expander or HIRAX) that goes in the roof of your mouth and ratchets your palette apart. SARPE is the actual procedure where they go in and break the natural fusing of your skull bones. From what I can tell your OS is talking about a segmental Lefort. As I understand it SARPE and segmental Leforts essentially accomplish the same thing except that in a SARPE there isn't any "resetting" the maxilla. It's just a matter of breaking it and letting the succeeding expansion "place" the bones where they want it. When it's wide enough they stop ratchetting the RPE open. In my opinion this is far less invasive than a segmental because there is no need for plates or screws. Judging by the number of SARPE victims around here it seems like that is the first course of action with more severe cases needing a segmental Lefort.
I'm sure someone here will be happy to correct me if I'm way off base about any of this :)
I wanted to do it all in one surgery and avoid the RPE. I mean, I already knew that there were other things they wanted to do to my jaw bones so I preferred to just have one big surgery. Very little time was actually spent thinking about SARPE in my case. And then in the end, I don't think any expansion was done. Funny how things change as you go down the road.
This splint thing I have over all of my top teeth is as much gunk I want in my mouth again (this is very short-term).
Speaking of RPE's, Brandy is the one who had that wire twisted through the holes to keep it from turning backwards. Thank God I did not have that, she actually took a blister bandaid and wrapped it around it to keep it from torturing her tongue. She also told me that the sound was probably from them cutting throught the cement that was holding it in place. I have yet to ask the OD, I imagine I will clear that up on my next visit. I think it is funny that you said you wanted to try on that RPE...ANXIOUS are YA? HEHE You just wait....you will not believe it when they put it in. In my mind I remember saying, ARE THEY CRAZY? Well just keep telling yourself that you WILL get used to it. You tongue will actually make changes to its movement, especially for speech. I am still trying to train my tongue to go all the way up top. My lisp is slowing going away....your turn now! How long do you have to wear it before surgery? I got mine 1 week before. Well chow for now!
Typically a segmented lefort is done when the expansion needed is about 5mm or less. This can be done with other surgeries so often you will see people having both done at the same time.
Anything greater then 5mm and a SARPE and RPE is used. This allows for the gradual filling in of new bone growth as you expand and is much more stable. The segmented Lefort would not be recommended for expansions of more then 5mm as the lack of bone support makes it very fragile and would have greater potential for collapse or relapse.
Brandy
Hi Chris,
My name is Regina -32 yrs old and I'm up here in the OC. I just had my SARPE done on tuesday and have been home this week recovering. The first day was really easy, the second day I couldn't keep anything down, yesterday was just ok, and today is just ok. The pain isn't bad, the swelling is what is driving me insane. I look like an elf from lord of the rings, i'd laugh if I could smile. I'm at the frustrating point where I am wondering why I did this to myself, but I know things will get better. I've had calls from the surgeon, the orthodontist, and even the dentist telling me how important it was that I did this so I know I'm doing the right thing. Enjoy having the roof of your mouth right now, you'll miss it later!
Thank you all for the responses. I think I understand now. :-) I guess because my upper is pretty narrow it would be better to do it with surgery. My son (10yrs)has been suffering with an upper and lower expander in for 9 months now. He doesn't complain too much, but it looks very uncomfortable.
It's do or die time huh? It's the worst when you're waiting for surgery dates, final says and insurance answers. I think we can all understand that! I was so anxious to get my date and then...what?!? it's here already!! :))
jesus christ dude...I'm very ignorant of this whole process, but I will tell you that I'm an excellent maker of care packages and, not to toot my own horn, but I'm one of the best at running errands for people. what are your restrictions on food after the first surgery?
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