The one they showed me looked just like this one.
See that TEENY TINY HOLE in the middle of it? That's where the key goes. I don't know that I can even get her mouth OPEN that far! LOL
See where the brackets go around the teeth? That's where they have to put rubber spacers in to make ROOM for the things to even GET around her teeth. I can't remember...those stay in for 1, 2 or 6 weeks. I've totally forgotten already. LOL
The key goes into that hole in the middle (which involves having her lay with her head on my lap, mouth open so I can get in there, and you turn it. Millions of kids do this every day, so it's not unusual. But new to us so a pain in the neck. There is NO WAY her dad will EVER do this, so that will slow the process down a bit.
Angela's mouth is SO TINY! They showed me her impressions, then the impressions of an average child her age. OMG! Her mouth was about half the size! And her teeth are all just crowded in there. We still don't know what we're going to do with the area that has no permanent teeth. So far the baby teeth are good and solid, but that could change as we expand her palate and there's more room for them to move. (cuz it's so crowded in there.) Some orthos will go straight to implants, then do the implant with the braces in place. Others prefer to leave the baby teeth as long as they'll stay, and allow them to keep the space open. Ours prefers the later. Why remove something now if that space will eventually be needed? Implants can't be moved, so let the baby teeth move around. It's possible they'll loosen with the braces. So, we're just going to kind of wait and see what they do. She said most likely at some point over the next couple of years she'll need to have implants put in. If it was just one tooth they wouldn't need to, but it's several teeth right next to each other, and above/below each other, and with nothing there the bone will collapse after a few years. Yeah, they said her articulation would go downhill big time (just what she needs.) but thankfully it's only for about 3 months.
{{{{{Angela}}}}}}
ReplyDeleteI was just searching the internet for more info on palate expanders and found your blog. My child just got hers put in, but luckily we don't have to deal with the teeny tiny hole you mentioned. Her ortho gave us this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-lGK_h3Cfs for information on what to expect, but i just need to know what moms are going through. thanks
ReplyDeleteI know this post was 3 years ago but we just got a palate expander in my daughter’s mouth. She is almost 10 years old and has Ds. It has been the biggest battle. She has had it in for 2 months and we haven’t been able to get it to do one full turn yet. She moves all over and we are fighting to keep her hands down, mouth open and head straight. Did it end up working for your daughter? DId you find any tricks that made it easier? I know Morgan needs it. Her mouth is just like your daughters. So tiny.
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