Today I hit an all-time low with the food... I have not really chewed anything in over 2 weeks. My son turned 5 today, and at his party with his friends we had pizza which I love, but now can't eat. As soon as everyone left, I took a fork and scraped off the top layer of several pieces of pizza and devoured (in miniscule bites) a pile of cheese/soft crust sludge, and it was fantastic... :) Ice cream cake also goes down beautifully...
For the record, my jaw does NOT hurt from the surgery. At this point my problem is with my expander and with my teeth. Yesterday I had the sensation that the right side of my expander was a little loose. I could hook my finger on the edge if it and wiggle it a tiny bit. I didn't think much else of it at the time. This morning, though, when my husband cranked I experienced excruciating tooth pain on the right side. All three of the teeth covered by the bonding plus my incisor were very sore to the touch. I couldn't even squash a soft noodle on the right side because of the pain. The interesting thing, though, is that the expander is no longer loose. I wonder if the cranking has put strange pressure on the teeth? For now, no smushing will be happening on the right... I can't wait to get the expander out!!
I have cranked for 11 days...22 turns... 5.5mm. The gap as measured today is about 3mm (good). I'm still pretty drooly and lispy, but it's getting better every day.
About Me
- Annemarie
- I'm 37 years old, a mother of three, and am finally "fixing my bite". I had years of braces as a pre-teen, but it wasn't fully fixed at that time. I've come to learn that I have an asymmetrical lower jaw that has led to my crossbite. In order to fix my mouth, I'm going to need an expander, SARPE, and lower jaw realignment. I hope to share my story so that others can learn too!
3 comments:
Hi Annemarie,
Thanks so much for chronicling all of this for everyone. Dr. Alexander gave me your info the other day so I could see for myself what this procedure involves. I am also a patient of Dr. White's (as are two of my kiddos). I started seeing him for TMJ and I have two questions for you...1. Did you start this whole process for pain management and 2. Do you have any regrets at this point? I am getting a bit nervous about this whole darn thing. Any help for a bit of a wimp?
Thanks again for posting for all of us and for any time you have.
Jenni Combs-Pokrywka
Hi Annemarie!
Thanks for posting this blog for everyone! I appreciate your time and energy to put this out there. Dr. Alexander gave me your information after my consultation appoiontment with him. Two of my kids and I are also patients of Dr. White's.
I have two quick qestions for you. 1. Did you begin your ortho because of TMJ pain? 2. At this point, do you have any regrets?
I am getting a bit nervous about this whole procedure and any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again for all of your time.
Sincerely,
Jenni Combs-Pokrywka
I didn't have pain when I started this process. I mainly had a narrow upper jaw, a crossbite, and weird facial pain. Believe it or not, my teeth were pretty straight. At this point, no regrets... I feel fine from the surgery and the only pain so far is not being able to eat normally (I just want a steak or a sandwich and I can't eat either!) If you'd like I'd be happy to give you my cell phone and we can chat! Let me know...
Annemarie
P.S. I think the White/Alexander is a great one!
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