#expander key

[gonnasmilenow]

Turn the Key

It was decided pretty early on. Or maybe not even decided but assumed. That I would be the one turning the expansion key every other day. Mr.Huffington straight up relieved himself of the duties. Squeamish.

I google everything so of course I googled “getting an expander”. One tip I read was to have your child hang upside down off the side of the bed for easier access. A friend of mine said she would have her son lie down on their kitchen island so that the lights would shine directly into his mouth. The first time I went to turn this key I felt like I was prepping for major surgery.

Newsflash! It’s not that hard. At least for the key turner. Unless you have extremely poor hand eye coordination. In that case you may get a bit frustrated.

Scoot has done fine with the turning. He throws his head back and I reach in with the little key and give a quick turn. Easy peasy. We have quickly fallen into a routine of turning in the evening. Taking a shot of Tylenol and going to bed. He has some soreness on occasion. But it has never unbearable for him. Like I feared it would be.

Honestly. The hardest part for us is remembering to turn the thing! I set a phone alarm, marked every other day on the family calendar and have a fairly type A child that tends to forget nothing and we still forgot a few days here and there. I chalk it up to Summer. Routines aren’t the norm when school isn’t in session!

[sarpe2011-blog]

The Expansion ~ Day 1

Six days after my SARPE I have begun to twist my palatal expander's key! I visited my orthodontist this morning who showed my sister and I how to do this, as its easier for someone else to do it for you, although I am determined to learn it myself as not to burden her any further!

He instructed me to twist it twice a day, once in the morning & once at night, for the next 7 days until I meet with him again. Every two turns is about 1mm, and I'll probably go up to 8mm by the time I see him next. 8mm is almost a centimetre!!! That's a space as wide as a tooth almost, that's a BIG GAP.

I also have a check-up appointment with my surgeon next week so she can also monitor the progress and look at my post-SARPE digital x-rays which were taken yesterday. I'm hoping they broke my jaw in all the right places so it expands evenly.

The twisting does not hurt, but is a bit unsettling. All I felt was a mild pressure as it was being twisted wider inside my mouth. When I walked out of the office this morning I looked at my teeth in a mirror, and yes, the GAP has begun. I am still chipmunk-cheeked and now the tooth gap, too. It's ok.

I have to admit that despite everything I am excited, and nervous.