Rapid Palatal Expanders
79I wouldn't guess that many people have firsthand experience with the palatal expander, but most people probably know someone who knew someone who had one. If you didn't, now you do -- I had one. For two (long, long) years. What exactly is this thing? Oh, if you have a flair for the dramatic, you might say it's something akin to a modern day torture device. If you're less prone to hysterics, you might simply describe it as a fugly contraption your orthodontist sticks in your mouth and leaves there for a specified period of time, during which you will be counting the seconds down to its removal. Sounds like a party, eh?
What Does The Palatal Expander Do?
In the simplest terms possible (and the nicest), this bit of joy widens your upper palate. Mine was similar to the one in that photo. If you look closely, you'll see a hole in the center. That would be a key-hole. No joke. Mom or Dad sticks the key into that hole every night (or as often as prescribed) and turns it about a few times. Sounds simple enough, but it hurts like a mother. And rightly so!
Why Is It Used?
The reasons will vary from person to person. From kid to kid, really, as these are usually used on prepubescents. I believe I was about 10 when I had mine, and it was in there because I have a very, very tiny mouth, but normal-sized teeth. Made for a quite a mess, but before I could use braces, I had to have room made for the wonkey teeth. And, in my case, I had to have some teeth pulled, because it was thought that if I didn't, my wisdom teeth might be a problem in the future. Other kids may need it due to a cross bite, breathing problems, or other issues. All depends on the individual.
What's It Like Once It's In?
It's been 20 years since mine was in, so technology may have improved since then. But I'll tell you how it was in my case, cos I remember it like it was yesterday.
It hurt going in, and it hurt quite badly every time my mother turned the key. Maybe she did it too fast or too hard, I dunno. All I can tell you is that I still remember the pain, which primarily manifested as headaches and jaw aches. The rest of the time it was more like a dull ache that I could ignore most of the time.
It was impossible to eat like a normal person. I preferred soft foods, for obvious reasons, as my teeth ached a lot. But even then, food would get stuck between the expander and the roof of my mouth. It was pretty nasty, and pretty annoying trying to clean it out.
I developed an instant lisp. And while I've read that you're supposed to overcome the speech issues within a few days, I must have been particularly speech-challenged, as I was unable to speak normally until a few days before the took it out -- TWO YEARS LATER.
I had way too much saliva going on for those two years.
How Long Do They Stay In?
Mine was in for two years. Others may have it for less time, or perhaps even more.
Are They Worth It?
To be honest, I'd have to say yes. I hated having that stupid thing in my mouth, but it changed the shape of my face for the better and, without it, my teeth would be quite wonky today, cos I wouldn't have been able to get braces. The pain was annoying, but it wasn't unbearable. If you are a parent, I'd advise you to be as gentle as you can when turning the key -- the pain really can be bad enough to make one cry. The rest of the time, however, it shouldn't be that bad.
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Ouch, it sounds like a mordern interigation instrument, except that it probably makes it harder to talk instead of easier, i can almost feel your pain, yrk.
Yours
J.T
Isabella, you were a brave soldier, and I commend you for not biting the doctor who put that thing in. I had one myself (I've blocked out for how long, exactly). I remember almost enjoing the kiddie-high head-rush you can get from doing two turns at once. Perhaps I lived a little close to the edge?
But the most horrible part of it was when it came out, it felt (and tasted!) like the roof of my mouth had been sealed up with rotten peanut butter for 7 years. Yuck! I suppose I should be grateful for my pretty smile now... but looking back... was it really worth it?
Misha - They aren't fun!
JT - LOL, they do!
Annemaeve - Yeah, when mine came out, I started talking funny again, cos it felt like there was too much space at the top of my mouth. It was strange. I never got the head-rush though... you might be the only one who enjoyed that part. ;)
Wow mouth pain is one of the worst to overcome. Imagine for two years. :-/ At least it was worth it.
have to say the whole process sounds awful and that was just the preparation for getting braces - but it looks as if it was worth it!
back again - cannot believe it (never having heard of expanders before!) but last night we went out to dinner and the young man of the house has just had an expander fitted- he agrees with you that the pain is not good!
I had one of those when I was 14. I worked at a boy scout camp and stayed overnight twice a week, but I couldn't turn the key by myself. We enlisted one of my fellow staff members to turn the key for me. Imagine one 14-year old boy getting another one to turn the key for him twice a week, and you have a perfect humility-teaching experience!
Hello i need HELP
My name is Denis, i have 20 years and i have big problem with my teeth. (sorry for my bad english, i am from southern europe)Now my upper jaw is bigger than lower jaw, and this is very bad for me becauce with this harmony you can't eat well, you can't smile well, simply you haven't a harmony and some times you have a bad headache and teeth(jaw)ache.This problem came to me artificaly, i a not born with this problem, till my 10 years i had a good teeht and super harmony with my jaws (you guessing what is problem)but one stupid doctor extracted my 2nd upper molars (the sixth teeth) because i had a very bad teeth-ache then (at my 10 years).But the doctor havn't told me that in the future i gonna have a problems, or to prevent thet problem somehow e.g. with spaceholders.Naturaly the problem came with upper jaw, because began to decrease and finaly to be smaller than lower jaw.The question for you is how this problem can be solved and until when i have time to fix this if is posibleCan somebody or something first to make space in my upper jaw, then to put implants (teeht), simply to turn back my molars and does with thati gonna have my harmony back and gonna be without that big problems what i have mentioned.Can palatal expander to help with this or not,and i ask you what is the best solution for this, how can correct this with low budget and how with big budget.
yeah i just got one of those in like 3 weeks ago and i have to turn it like twice a day for two weeks and it hurts so bad and food gets stuck it sucks so bad!
Hi, i had a palate expander fitted yesterday, and i dont know how im going to cope for the next two weeks, ive only got mine in for two weeks....but girl 2 years??? well done! i could never imagine having it for that long. i intend to stay indoors for these next two weeks, the glue they used is blue so it looks like im wearing this hench blue mouth guard. the worst part is the pain and the difficulty in swallowing. every 5 minutes i have to go spit out all the saliva that has built up! i never thought it was this bad, even though i did research when i found out i needed it. i only need 8mm expansion, that must sound minor to people that have had it in for much longer. anyway, i wanted to ask if the whole swallowing dilemna will improve? ive eaten yoghurt, but to be honest its not very filling, and I HATE THIS EXPANDER =(
I am a mom of a little boy who just got an expander put in and I am up in the middle of the night because his pain is causing me so much sorrow. I thank you for writing this review of your experience with the palatal expander. I needed the reassurance that what I was doing to my son would be worth it in the end. I hope his outcome is as successful as yours.
I got mine 2 days ago and after reading this thread, I just cant imagine having this thing on me for 2 years. I did a headrush, I dont mind the pain at all, what I mind is the speech and the eating, I just hated so bad!! I usually have my days were Im negative but Ive been like this ever since I got this thing on. Hopefully, I will adapt and feel better in a couple of days and hopefully my speech will improve. My dentist told me that the avg is 6 months. Cant wait to get mine out.
i just got mine in
it really sucks
food gets caught in the top and there is no way of cleaning it out
i got mine too just now, and it is annoying.. food stucks in it, and i have difficulty talking, but i know it's worth it. :D
mine has to be in for 3-6 months
Hello, My daughter is about to get hers . i'm now scared for her she doesn't do well with pain. She is only 8 and her dentist said she should do it know because when she's older her jaw will already be set. I worry for her.
I was about that age. If it hurts too much you can always make them take it out.
I know I had mine 30 years ago but it hurt like hell when that key turned!!! Then one of the brackets got loose and when my dentist tried to emove it to recement it, my whole jaw kinda lost shape and I had to leave off the expander and get a retainer for several weeks until the palate healed. I saw stars and moons and .....................Now her dentist is telling me my 9 year old needs one and I can't do it to her!
I'm getting one soon, It hurts? oh man now i'm scared to get it!
I am 30 and I got one about 8 and a half weeks ago. The pain really is not that bad, however the eating, speech difficulty and excess saliva are horrible. I know that it is all worth it in the end. I get it out on Aug 18th though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wahoo!!!!!!!
thanks for the info, my 9 yr old got her p.e. one week ago, she is having a hard time getting used to eating, with food getting stuck up there. her speech is getting better already. I have a hard time seeing the dang thing to turn it each day. we do it at night if she experiences any pain. she can swallow pills so if she needs ibuprofen she will ask for one.not very confident in turning the key hope I am doing it right? she says she feels a difference, but don't know is she is telling the truth?
Hii.. i am getting my expander in tomorrow and i am very, very, very freaked out about it... I am 14 and a girl.. lol.i am very scared about it and i dont even know how long i have to have it in for!!! i no that i am getting braces on september 4th... and something is going to be done on july 24th as well... but I'm not sure if ther taking it out on the 24th or not..does it really hurt to put it in and turn the key??will i have problems eating nutella toast?? ( like my favourite )is there any foods i should avoid? and any that make your teeth and jaw feel better?any advice would be like great i have been searching up stuff for the last 2 hours i hope i can get some good advice from here!!!!I am getting it in tomorrow at 3 PM so please reply soon!!thanks so much!
Hi London. I don't think it hurt so much going in; it hurts when the key gets turned. It's not a pain that you can't live with and if you take some ibuprofen you'll probably be ok. To give you a comparison, it's a bit like sitting in a constant split and applying just enough pressure to sting a lot, but not enough to make you cry. Also, it doesn't hurt SO much to eat food, it's just more of a dull ache and it's a pain in the arse because the food you eat gets stuck between the palate expander and the roof of your mouth which is annoying to clean out. Don't worry, it will not be that bad. If you take some ibuprofen when it starts to hurt, that will probably be enough for you. I was much younger than you and my mother didn't want me taking ibuprofen. Good luck! Let us know how it goes. :)
Mother of 14yr old who just had his expander put in 7 days ago. Right away his speech had a lisp but it's improved slightly already. Reading out loud would help improve his speech but it's his summer vacation and he informed me no reading is allowed. He has trouble eating with the expander (causes him a little sorrow) but he is eating. I went out and bought him an electric water pik and we both agree it is a must have if you want to remove any stuck food and keep fresh breath. We paid $55 but even if it cost $100, I would have bought it! As for the pain, he says it's no big deal. He gets one turn around noon and one right before bed. By spreading out his two turns he no longer even needs to take an Advil. SHOCKER: He woke up yesterday with a small gap between his front teeth (which were perfectly straight prior), and today it's even larger. I'm surprised at how fast his teeth are moving. I did some internet searching and found out a lot of wearers will get this gap. One picture I found had a gap large enough to place three quarters between his teeth. Has anyone here experienced the gap, how soon did it close, or were braced needed to close the gap. Right now he could care less about the gap but girls his age I imagine would be very concerned. So for being just one week in, my advice is to be patient. He started out a little depressed but is again acting like himself, joking, laughing, and playing sports.
Thanks to Isabella for starting this helpful conversation.
I didn't have a gap, and I had mine in for a long, long time. I am sure he's fine but you may want to ask his doctor if that was intended in his particular case, just to be on the safe side. It does seem logical that the gap wouldn't close on it's own, and many people do get braces after the expander comes out. All the best to you and him.
My daughter has a severe crossbite problem and was recommented to put on RPE right way. However, I would get some information about the expander. Since each patient has his or her unique jaw shape, the expander needs to be customerized a bit based on each individual patient?
Thanks,
Julia
Sherri
My daughter is 12 and had a P.E. put in 8 days ago. We turn it once a day. She had braces put on a week before that and her gap had closed and now after only 8 turns her gap is opening back up. My concern is that she has to turn it for 21 days and it has only been 8 and the shape of her teeth are concerning me. I thought they would look more round and they look like it is widening her teeth in the back and not in the front. Don't know if this make since. LOL Anybody have any problems like this.
Help! My 8 year old son got his p.e. today, and he is so upset. His speech is not a problem, nor is the excess saliva (boys!), but he is so frustrated with eating. He suffers from migraines, so the ache is not bothersome to him. It's the food getting stuck in the roof of his mouth. Every bite drives him crazy!! He was in tears at both of our meals after he got the appliance put in. I'm hoping this gets better as he becomes used to it. I told him to wait until he eats his whole meal until he tries to dislodge the food that gets stuck, but after each bite he is so grossed out that he can hardly stand it. Any advice?
Nicky
Sorry to read that your child was in tears. My 14yr old has had his in for about 3 weeks now and is doing just fine. He is adapting quite well and is eating everything! Where in the beginning I was cutting everything into bits. Your child being just 8, I can understand why coping with the change might be harder. You posted two days ago and I'm just now reading. If I had to quess, I would guess things have already calmed down. But if not, one thing that helped my son the first day was going onto youtube.com, typing palate expander, and watching the dozens of kids his age who are sharing their experience and even laughing at themselves (speech,slurping). Hope this helped.
Hi my name is jackie and i am ll years old and about to get my expander put in i was reading all the commets about it now i am very very scared.
Hi, everyone! I am a 29-year-old female who just got her RPE put in today... The pain hasn't been too bad so far, but eating, drinking, and swallowing is quite frustrating... I keep having this fear that I am going to choke on everything and can't seem to stop myself from swallowing. I have to "turn" my key for two weeks, but this thing will be in for four to six months... I am so apprehensive about how I am going to get through this... I am so impressed by all of the people in the world who have survived this thing that looks like some sort of medieval torture device... Please update me on how you guys are doing! I feel like I am already regretting my choice to fix my crossbite so late in my life. Is it really going to work now that I'm done growing? I appreciate feedback! bunnycat24@aol.com
I just got mine installed today. I am so frustrated I could rip my head off. Learning to talk isn't that hard, I learned in under 20 minutes. But eating (chewing) is very hard to learn how to do. Eating foods like ice cream and yogurt help and are good to try at first. It's a bit frustrating when you try to swallow as the expander becomes very cold due to the iciness of the ice cream and the coldness of the yogurt. Chewing is just a matter of overcoming your fears. You just have to shove your food in your mouth and chew as you normally would. It may hurt a little, but it's ok.
Oh man, so glad I found this site! I am a guilty mom, as both my 7 and 10 year old girls got the PE's put on last Thursday. The seven year old is fine with it, has adjusted her speech and doesn't seemed bothered by the food getting caught. The ten year old is absolutely depressed and miserable. She hasn't eaten anything but yogurt and ice cream since it was put on and I'm worried about her weight. She needs protein and is proned to headache's anyway, nevermind the not eating thing. I feel so guilty ... agree that it looks like a medieval torture device and can't imagine that in this day and age they can't come up with someone more desirable. UGH. Thanks for tips on Youtube ... that will help her to know that she's not alone ... will do that tomorrow. Advice on HOW to eat would be welcome ... everything she puts in, she spits out and we spent 1 1/2 hrs. the first night getting a piece of bread out. YUCK! She is too scared now to try and eat other foods. She has sensory integration disorder, which is when things (like noise or textures in eating or touching) bother you more than normal people. These problems for her, manifest mostly in oral senses ... so she's always been a particularly picky eater ... could never mix textures together ... bread good, peanut butter good ...bread and peanut butter together, bad ... etc. ... you get the point. So what was I thinking? I also appreciate the Water Pik advice and will look into that tomorrow. We have procured "mono-ject" syringes from the ortho, which, when filled with water, can help shove food out from under this contraption. If her eating doesn't improve within the next week, we'll have to consider having it removed. Not sure how her sister will react to that one! Wish me luck ... ps. they both say that it doesn't "hurt" perse, just that when the key is turned, there is a lot of pressure. The ortho told us that if a gap appeared during this, it would go away .. so I have to trust that will happen.
hey I am 14 years old and got my rpe put in about two weeks ago. The pain isnt bad unless I try to eat right after turning the key. And food gets stuck in there but i clean it so its alright. The only thing about it that concerns me is the gap. I cant stand it. My orthodontist says that when we stop turning the key the gap will begin to close, but hearing all these stories im afraid that since the plan is to not have braces after this that I might have a gap for the rest of my life. Which is NOT what I want.
My daughter is so frustrated that she can't eat. She got her rpe today and everything is getting caught. She is sick of ice cream and yogurt. Help. Will eating become normal? How soon?
Eating is something that you just have to get over, really... it's always going to be annoying trying to clean it out, but eventually you just get used to having to do it. It's not that bad, really. And for those asking about gaps -- if your orthodontist told you it was normal, then I wouldn't worry about it. In my case I didn't develop a gap, but that's probably because I have the world's smallest mouth (needed teeth pulled because not enough room in there!)
It sounds like pain is minimal for most of you -- and that's really all that matters. :)) Everything else you will get used to. And remember, I do think mine was worth it. :))
i got my PE last wednesday, it doesnt really bother me as much as i thought but the brackets keep on scraping the inside of my mouth, any advice?
it IS bothersome but its not as horrible as i thought. hey at least ill have normal teeth and lose some weight :)
e-mail: sayxanythingxlovely@gmail.com
I had mine in a month ago. Tech maybe further on, but mine's more prehistoric than the one in that picture. instead of a small, sweet bridge between each side of the palate, I've got a huge hunk of clear plastic that feels akin to a dried-up hunk of chewing gum in my mouth. I can't speak, I can't eat, if I bite down it digs into my gum and hurts like hell. At the moment it's horrible. I have to get my six-year old brother to order food for me, and it's really hit my self esteem as my high school/secondary school favours loads of dances, and someone with a disgusting brace who can't talk and is really saliva-graced at present because her dentist will not allow her to remove it for A FEW MEASLY HOURS, it's hell.
I got mine yesterday im 14 and it doesnt hurt me at all! my biggest problem is keeping my tongue away from it. also my teeth are slightly sore but i can eat pretty well and i just swish water in my mouth to get rid of the food that gets stuck up there. listening to myelf talk is hilarious! my best friend laughed like crazy when i talked to her on the phone but im just trying to not let it get to me and that seems to be working. but i am SO not looking forward to monday-we went back to school on thursday. oh well- i dont say much usually anyways.
i got my expander about a month ago....the pain hurt for about the first 2days to mee....the worst part was the food getting stuck in between my teeth.but i am a big baby and was terrified to get it.now i have my braces.and i am now glad i had the expander,because if i didnt have my expander i think the pain with mr braces would have been worse.I didnr feel any pain with my braces now.
My newly 9yr old had upper and lower RPEs installed on Thursday morning. Thanks to a friend's recommendation, we took a liquid pain reliever before going to the appointment. This aids in keeping the pain level to a minimum and subsequent pain management. With a preemptive dose of meds every 6-8hours we were pain free and transitioned within 30hours. Wax is essential!
For these first two days he has refused to eat anything other than broth, refried beans, and mashed potato: Time for a change!
We began the morning with tiny bites of super soft toast and raspberries hand feed by Mommy. Then I backed away and instructed him to eat the last third by himself. Success!
Amazingly he has more energy and was playing so rigorously this morning that he ran in for a snack and pulled potato chips out of the pantry. POTATO CHIPS!...my son is back from the depths of orthodontic depression.
The lisp was an instant source of new comedic material for this future stand-up genius. So my recommendation is just to keep it light and enjoy the unexpected. Hey, if you never had a lisp before here is your chance to try it on for size and yet revel in the knowledge that it's not forever... GOOD LUCK
I am 16 I got mine like 40 days ago, and finally after I stopped turning it, the pain is making me go insane. Biting down is HURTING A LOT with a constant pain. I have a crossbyte, but the weird this is, it's hurting now after I stopped turning... so I don't know, but it's driving me nuts. The two teeth that I have the palate expander hooked WIGGLE A LOT. I bet if pulled to hard they would fall out...
I got mine put in about 3 days ago. I'm 18 and I'm almost in tears every time I eat, because the fact that I can't chew due to cross bite(the brackets contact before my teeth do on the left side, causing no contact on either side), I'm starving, and whatever I do manage to mush up gets caught in between the roof of my mouth and the expander. I had the choice of this or getting teeth pulled, and when I go back on Tuesday, I will get the teeth pulled. I'll settle for a week of jaw pain rather than possibly months of this hell.
hi, i just got mine yesterday, ive turned it twice already, and the pain has been the same all the time, the key only makes me feel some more pressure, i can't really eat, but i do... its not really unbearable i am 12... i feel sorry for you guys
i heard that the pain will go away in a week... i hope i am not in pain for SIX MONTHS! i think that the roof of my mouth is just starting to be stretched, its very annoying when i have en itch up there... ow
hi I just got mine 2 days ago.
I dont have one of those scary looking type of expanders where you need a key, and mine only connects to my back molars. It uses a spring to constantly push the teeth instead of using a screw thing like everyone is complaining about lol. I still do have a lisp and eating is hard, but there really isn't that much pain at all.
I'm 25 yrs old .. I heard it doesn't work well for adults but Im hoping it will.
My daughter recently had a palate expander put in, and compared to what some of friends children went through with the activation, it was a lot simpler than i imagined. She was given the expander where turning the key takes place outside the mouth. Since the activation process is so easy, she does it on her own when she wakes up and before she goes to bed. It alleviates the tension that goes into turning the key because she gets to do it herself. Her ortho gave me this link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-lGK_h3Cfs) which helped us understand what to expect during this process.
At the beginning she experienced some pressure in between her eyes, but after taking a Tylenol, a couple hours later it would dissipate. It also took her a couple weeks before she got rid of her lisp and was able to eat solid foods.
I have a 8 yr old daughter that just had the Palatal Expander RPE in just 2 days a go she is doing ok. Just one thing that is her right said in her mouth hurts could it be that she bite down and made it sore. Ever time she eats it hurts and when she talks it hurts I hope some one can help me as I have to 80 mi to the DDS.
Ginny
Man, am I a glad I found this website. My oldest (7) got his RPE put in yesterday and today I am reading up on this modern day torture devise. He hardly ate anything yesterday, hardly had any breakfast this morning before school. I packed his lunch box with bananas, yogurt and drinks to keep him hydrated and fed. What is everybody doing about the excess saliva? He already developed this nasty habit of sucking it in every few minutes which causes this irritating noise. I sent his teacher a note explaining it, but I am sure he will be a nuisance in class... my poor baby, I wish he could have been spared this device from hell...
Oh, he had braces put in 5 weeks ago, now the RPE and in a few months he will get this mouth guard to help correct his underbite... not sure how much more he can take, he is already very self-conscious about all of his other problems (Brown's Syndrome in his eye (lazy eye), Severe's Disease in his feet (he can't run))...
Any advice about the saliva and how to help him would be great!
I am 37 years old and just 2 weeks ago i had a nitanium expander put in. I think this has got to be a throw back of all the expanders. It's metal it has an awful taste, and like everyone else's frustrations it is very hard to adjust to. I am still having a hard time adjusting. I got braces put on the top as well and will have to get a lower expander as well Monday and finish getting braces on the bottom. This expander activates thermally by the heat in your mouth which is much slower than the more up to date expanders. Unfortunately i have been drinking alot of cold liquids.. My dentist only had 2 expanders to chose from. I would honestly have to say if i had to decide to do this again, I wouldnt. Sometimes its better to accept your flaws. It doesn't hurt it is just annoying. I am a supervisor at my job and trying to have a serious conversation is like a 3 year old scolding an adult. If i was a parent and had to chose this for my young child, I probably wouldn't. I have lost 5 pounds already, and still have 5 1/2 months to go which i cant imagine this being in my mouth that long. I can eat soup, drinking alot of protein shakes, smoothies, and baked fish, and french cut string beans, and baked potatoe, as long as i mash it up. Don't ask me how but i did eat a cheeseburger but i had to tear small pieces and chew with my back wisdoms and swallow on one side. By the time you are done chewing your tongue hurts bad. sometimes its not worth the effort. I don't know. This is a hard one to swallow...Literally
i had my device put in a month ago and in order to properly fix my teeth i had to have my upper palate cracked so that it would expand properly.i had an underbite and this is only step one of the whole process.and as for cleaning the food off,invest in a waterpik.best thing ever!it was a savior for cleaning out food along my gumline bc i had about 20 stitches in which are still there.it is a weight loss program too.ive lost about 40 pounds since i got this installed.
http://www.bigmanortho.com/images/appliances/RPE-I
My expnder looks most like the URL I attached. Im a sophmore in high school and I am 15 years old. I had my palate expander put in one month ago and ive gotten used to it. At first, it was TERRIBLE! nobody but my orthodontist knew how to turn the key so i would sit with my mouth open till someody finally got the key turned. I had a TERRIBLE lisp at first but it graduall has faded. my R and E are bad an my S lisp. Food is really the only BIG problem. It gets stck around the metal rods and on top of the expander. It's nasty. At school i carry a toothbrush so i can brush food out. When I swollow food i put my tounge on top of my expander when i go to swollow food. It helps food from getting stuck. The only advice I have for anyone getting one is to be paitent with it. The annoyance will lessen and the pain will go away. I have to have mine for 6 months. I only have one down. This past month has gone by decently fast with it. Tomorrow I get my braces in and then I will be metal mouth. Good luck to anyone getting one.
My name is yazmin and i am 19..I been having the device for 8 months and its ok. At first it was horrible I couldnt talk right and also all the food got stuck in there...for me when it was being turned it wasnt painful i just felt a lot of pressure..it was hard getting used to it at first i hate it but after time it fells like a its part of the braces but at first it will be hard and a little painful but for kids it will be a little harder but it's worth having it on trust me because my mouth looks fantastic it looks very different than before...so cheer up it's going to be o.k
My name is Hannah i'm 11 yrs old... had my pe put in yesterday..turned it twice and it really only hurts for about 5 mins if you take ibuprofen. mostly it's completely pain-free. the most annoying thing is EATING!!! food gets stuck in the bars AND under the square part with the keyhole... one thing you should NOT eat is spaghetti...had it tonight for dinner and nearly choked. soup and yogurt is my new fave food. my biggest problem is i can't keep my tongue off it and it's getting scraped up. but for the most part it's not that bad as long as you don't think about it.
http://www.orthoorganizers.com/Uploads/npe_datashe
Here's what my top expander looks like...I still dread having them, and i now have the expanders on the bottom right and left sides...some days i do okay other days it's just annoying...my food intake is slighty better, some things are still to hard to swallow or chew up, and gets stuck on the expander. I've mastered a cheesburger, chili dog, shrimp chicken patties shrimp lobster sauce, an turkey sandwich. I pretty much buy the banquet frozen dinners oh and potpies are my lifesaver. Absolutely no leafy anything, noodles, spaghetti or similar. It gets stuck and caught everywhere. For some reason you just can't chew it up enough without it choking you...you just have to really take your time when you eat and swallow, and i chew on my back teeth mainly. I was feeling so sick and weak at one time, i had to try to eat heartier foods. When there's a will there's a way. lol i've had braces and expanders for a month now...the braces haven't gotten tightened yet. i bottom expanders he activates once a month.
my expander makes me sound like a freak and im 13 and a girl i have 2 have the expander 4 6 months and the braces 4 2 years which means my life is history
i hope its worth it
-_-
Misha says:
14 months ago
Poor girl! I feel for you Isa, seriously!