Saturday, December 20, 2003
What the Neurologist Said
I went to see Dr. Rosenthal, a neurologist, about my post-SARPE facial discomfort and numbness, at the recommendation of my primary care physician. He was not familiar with the procedure, but after I explained what I had been through, he examined me very thoroughly. His examination included checking my feet, hands, arms and legs. He also did a pin prick test on my face and checked the inside of my mouth with a wooden tongue depressor. After all this, he said basically that the lingering symptoms are the result of the nerve being disturbed by the surgery, and that there is nothing he or anyone else can do about it. He said the numbness will either go away or it won't, and that he can't tell me when or if it will get better.
More Waiting
I've now had the lower wire for almost two weeks. It seems like longer than that. I can't say that I have noticed any tooth movement at all on the lower. When I got the upper wire my teeth were moving within hours (probably because the upper bone is so soft). The first few days certainly felt like a lot of movement, but things feel like they are stabilizing now and I don't feel as much pressure. The wires in teh back have been poking me somewhat, but I am getting used to it and I have not been applying the wax. I am still flossing every night.
I went to see Dr. Rosenthal, a neurologist, about my post-SARPE facial discomfort and numbness, at the recommendation of my primary care physician. He was not familiar with the procedure, but after I explained what I had been through, he examined me very thoroughly. His examination included checking my feet, hands, arms and legs. He also did a pin prick test on my face and checked the inside of my mouth with a wooden tongue depressor. After all this, he said basically that the lingering symptoms are the result of the nerve being disturbed by the surgery, and that there is nothing he or anyone else can do about it. He said the numbness will either go away or it won't, and that he can't tell me when or if it will get better.
More Waiting
I've now had the lower wire for almost two weeks. It seems like longer than that. I can't say that I have noticed any tooth movement at all on the lower. When I got the upper wire my teeth were moving within hours (probably because the upper bone is so soft). The first few days certainly felt like a lot of movement, but things feel like they are stabilizing now and I don't feel as much pressure. The wires in teh back have been poking me somewhat, but I am getting used to it and I have not been applying the wax. I am still flossing every night.
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Progress This Week
I had my long awaited appointment on Tuesday with Dr. Weston, and we covered a lot of ground. I wanted to examine the models of my teeth. He's got impressions of both my upper and lower before we began treatment, and a "fixed up" model of my lower that he made for me last summer to show me what the lower arch would look like post extraction and post treatment. I wanted to see what the "fixed up" version looked like in relation to my upper. It was a tight fit. Anyway, we discussed my treatment and he addressed my concerns. I have been worried about what appears to me to be an overbite that has developed as a result of my surgery, expansion and tooth extraction. When I close my jaw in what feels like a natural position, there is a huge gaping chasm between my protruding uppers and my lowers. But when I close my mouth with my lower jaw forward (the way I used to do before we began any of this work) the gap is much smaller. Dr. Weston says this is not something to be concerned about, as my lower teeth will form a nice "arch" and that my front lower teeth will come forward. He also says my bite will be fixed and I will be able to chew things like lettuce and green beans again, though to close tightly I will still have to thrust my lower jaw forward. We also talked about tooth filing ("re-countouring" as he calls it.) He's not going to shave any enamel off any of my teeth for now, but he did show me where he would do it. He says that due to gum recession I might have a gap between my front two teeth at the top and at the bottom that may never go away. He said this gap did not appear before because my front teeth were so crowded together. I think the gap on top will go away if he can get them to "stand up straight." Right now the tooth on the left is coming down at an odd angle.
Finally, the Lower Wire
He put in the lower wire, a slightly stronger one that what I have on top. The wire itself bridges the large gaps where I am missing teeth on the lower left and front middle. He demonstrated for me how resilient the wires are. They bounce back into shape after being bent and twisted. He left the top wire in place for now. He did clip the back right wire that had been poking me, but not enough and I still have to cover that with wax. For the past couple days my lower teeth have been sore to the touch. Brushing is especially painful and I have been taking it easy. Despite the pain I am glad to have the lower wire. I am glad to be finally getting on with tooth movement after the SARPE and the tooth extraction.
The Dreaded Expander
I had been looking forward to getting the Hyrax expander device removed at my appointment in January. (January 18 will be six months post op.) But Dr. Han wants to keep it in. So now the earliest I will get it taken out is my appointment in February. I think at my next appointment, in January, I might just stomp my foot on the floor and insist that I want it out. I explained to Dr. Weston that I don't feel any pressure from the device in the back anymore, but some in the front. Dr. Han is very conservative and cautious and wants to make sure the palate does not snap back into its old position. He says that while my bone has healed, it is still soft.
No More Band and Hook
They decided that I no longer have to wear the rubberband from the hook in the expander to the lower right molar, so Dr. Weston removed the hook attached to the expander. Thank god! That tooth actually did move back in a lot as a result of the rubberband. I asked him to also remove the safety wire from the top middle but he says I need to keep that in.
Off to a Neurologist About the Numbness
I complained again to Dr. Weston about the facial discomfort, numbness, stiffness, congestion and phantom nose dripping sensation. He thinks that I might have a sinus infection and suggested I see an ear nose and throat doctor. So I went to see Dr. Champagne, my primary care physician, today (who would need to give me a referral.) Dr. Champagne had never heard of the SARPE procedure. After I explained everything to him, I described my symptoms and he examined my face and mouth, he referred me to a neurologist. He says that secretions are caused by nerves, and that a neurologist would be able to test me for nerve damage. His words were "there is definitely something wrong."
I had my long awaited appointment on Tuesday with Dr. Weston, and we covered a lot of ground. I wanted to examine the models of my teeth. He's got impressions of both my upper and lower before we began treatment, and a "fixed up" model of my lower that he made for me last summer to show me what the lower arch would look like post extraction and post treatment. I wanted to see what the "fixed up" version looked like in relation to my upper. It was a tight fit. Anyway, we discussed my treatment and he addressed my concerns. I have been worried about what appears to me to be an overbite that has developed as a result of my surgery, expansion and tooth extraction. When I close my jaw in what feels like a natural position, there is a huge gaping chasm between my protruding uppers and my lowers. But when I close my mouth with my lower jaw forward (the way I used to do before we began any of this work) the gap is much smaller. Dr. Weston says this is not something to be concerned about, as my lower teeth will form a nice "arch" and that my front lower teeth will come forward. He also says my bite will be fixed and I will be able to chew things like lettuce and green beans again, though to close tightly I will still have to thrust my lower jaw forward. We also talked about tooth filing ("re-countouring" as he calls it.) He's not going to shave any enamel off any of my teeth for now, but he did show me where he would do it. He says that due to gum recession I might have a gap between my front two teeth at the top and at the bottom that may never go away. He said this gap did not appear before because my front teeth were so crowded together. I think the gap on top will go away if he can get them to "stand up straight." Right now the tooth on the left is coming down at an odd angle.
Finally, the Lower Wire
He put in the lower wire, a slightly stronger one that what I have on top. The wire itself bridges the large gaps where I am missing teeth on the lower left and front middle. He demonstrated for me how resilient the wires are. They bounce back into shape after being bent and twisted. He left the top wire in place for now. He did clip the back right wire that had been poking me, but not enough and I still have to cover that with wax. For the past couple days my lower teeth have been sore to the touch. Brushing is especially painful and I have been taking it easy. Despite the pain I am glad to have the lower wire. I am glad to be finally getting on with tooth movement after the SARPE and the tooth extraction.
The Dreaded Expander
I had been looking forward to getting the Hyrax expander device removed at my appointment in January. (January 18 will be six months post op.) But Dr. Han wants to keep it in. So now the earliest I will get it taken out is my appointment in February. I think at my next appointment, in January, I might just stomp my foot on the floor and insist that I want it out. I explained to Dr. Weston that I don't feel any pressure from the device in the back anymore, but some in the front. Dr. Han is very conservative and cautious and wants to make sure the palate does not snap back into its old position. He says that while my bone has healed, it is still soft.
No More Band and Hook
They decided that I no longer have to wear the rubberband from the hook in the expander to the lower right molar, so Dr. Weston removed the hook attached to the expander. Thank god! That tooth actually did move back in a lot as a result of the rubberband. I asked him to also remove the safety wire from the top middle but he says I need to keep that in.
Off to a Neurologist About the Numbness
I complained again to Dr. Weston about the facial discomfort, numbness, stiffness, congestion and phantom nose dripping sensation. He thinks that I might have a sinus infection and suggested I see an ear nose and throat doctor. So I went to see Dr. Champagne, my primary care physician, today (who would need to give me a referral.) Dr. Champagne had never heard of the SARPE procedure. After I explained everything to him, I described my symptoms and he examined my face and mouth, he referred me to a neurologist. He says that secretions are caused by nerves, and that a neurologist would be able to test me for nerve damage. His words were "there is definitely something wrong."
