So it's been 2 days since my SARPE surgery...check out my video!!

6 Days Til SARPE!!!

Since my last post, not much has changed. I go to the orthodontist every 4 to 6 weeks to get new bands and on my last visit I got a new wire and molded for my expander. Next week I will finally have my SARPE surgery after months of waiting and lots of paperwork. I also recieved great news today. My insurance is covering the procedure,which is a great relief especially to my wallet haha! Monday 9/9/13 I will get my expander put in and the next day at 6am I will be having my SARPE surgery. I'm anxious, nervous and excited at the same time. I have already purchased food for the weeks after my surgery and I even purchased a wedge pillow. I will post more after the surgery to show what I go through for others that are considering the procedure. Until then adios!

Bottom Braces!

So....today I got got my bottom braces. It took about an hour and twenty minutes and it was a very interesting process. I now feel very weird and sore and I cannot eat everything I used to. So I will be on a soft food diet for a while until the soreness goes away. I attempted to eat pizza and that was a bust. I only ate half because it was just too much on my teeth. The fries I had were a little better because I just cut off the hard ends. Then snack time came and I decided a honey bun is soft enough and I was right, YUMMY!!!

After work I went to Target to get some more soft foods: bananas, applesauce, mac and cheese, and even baby food. We'll see how this goes. It will definitely take some getting used to, but it'll be worth it in the end! Check out my pics of me in braces.

Beginning to Spacers

So my journey began in December of 2012 when I decided it was time to take care of my smile. I always wanted braces to straighten my teeth and now I could finally afford it so I decided why not. To my surprise, upon my first visit to the orthodontist, I was told that braces would only straighten my teeth and not fix the other issues that I had. Apparently I have receding gums, my top teeth flare out, and my upper jaw was too narrow. My options were to just focus on straightening, teeth removal, or SARPE. Because I wanted to fix all my problems and have lasting results I opted for SARPE(Surgically Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion). Of course I had to go meet with a surgeon to make sure this was the right choice for me, so after waiting 2 months, due to his busy schedule, I went to see an oral surgeon that my orthodontist recommended.

The appointment just confirmed my decision to go through with the surgery followed by braces. To get started they had me get several x-rays and moldings. The molding process was weird and slightly painful (curse my small mouth), but the molds tasted like bubble gum :) ! Next came the spacers, which I just got yesterday. I only got spacers in my lower back teeth because I will be getting my lower braces prior to surgery. Initially, the spacers just felt funny and eating was an experience. Since my teeth are so close together, my orthodontist did warn me that I may have some soreness. Well he was right because when I woke up today my right side was indeed sore. I tool some Motrin but it is still sore and I have avoided chewing on that side. Next week I get my bottom braces in, so I will post again then!

Welcome!

Hello All,

Thanks for checking out my blog on my journey to my new smile. I decided to create this blog for people that are considering SARPE. My first blog to come will start with spacers and my last will be my new smile! It will be a 2 year process, but worth it in the end. Happy reading!