After exactly one week of turning my MARPE, I finally saw a diastema (gap) form between my two front teeth!!! This means that the expander was incredibly successful and separated the maxillary bone! Woooohoooo!!
The week leading up to this was pretty eventful; here's a breakdown of my expansion....
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As some of you may know, moving forward I'll update my progress via video as well as blog posts (millennial behavior-sorry not sorry!). Following my "throwback video" theme (this actually happened in January)--after all my months of research and hunting down the right treatment plan and orthodontists, I was very excited to get my MARPE installed. Like, way too excited. It was a little weird. All I could think about was the possibility of a successfully maxillary split and seeing visible change. Here's a video I put together of the day I got my MARPE installed. Towards the end you can see how many orthodontic residents were gathering around to observe my procedure-really shows how incredibly new this technology is! Excuse my awkward speech at the end-I was a little tired and getting used to talking with the expander in (haha). I took some extra footage to make the video a little more fun and interesting :) Subscribe to my YouTube channel to stay updated on my videos! Happy almost Friday! In addition to my blog posts, I've decided to share the videos I take throughout my treatment with updates, clips from procedures, etc, via my new YouTube channel. This was a tough choice as it's a little awkward to share something so personal, so publicly--but I can see there are people who follow my posts who are now considering MARPE, and I want to help however I can. To start, here's my "intro" video I took the day before I went to get my MARPE installed last. I talk about my previous experience with braces, go more in-depth about my two main orthodontic issues, and there's some useless rambling in there too, haha. Watch if you like, subscribe if you please!
***Posts are a bit backlogged, working on catching up! :) ***
It's been a few days since I had the MARPE installed and started the expansion process. I've been instructed to do three consecutive full turns (3/4mm in total) per day, at the same time each day for consistency. I'm expanding for two weeks until my follow up appointment, by which ideally, I'll see a gap called a "diastema" form between my front incisors. It's quite a strange sensation that personally, I didn't get used to.... Hey peeps! Life has been crazy lately so I haven't had time to update my blog, sadly. However, I'm happy to see that my blog is helpful and informative to others considering or currently undergoing orthodontic treatment. This post is to gauge interest in a project I'm considering. I've been taking videos since I started my orthodontic journey, from last December or so through my current visits. Some videos are just me talking about my ortho history and treatment, and then there's more interesting ones like the MARPE installation itself. How many of you would be interested to see my videos? Let me know in the poll below! I'm going to hold off on update blog posts until I see the poll results. :)
The big day finally arrived! Yesterday I went to get my MARPE installed. I've been looking forward to this day for nearly five months since I first discovered this device. I was a little nervous but mostly excited to finally start this exciting process and (hopefully) see some dramatic changes.......
I returned from traveling to amazing news- my orthodontist said I am eligible for MARPE to widen my maxilla and correct my posterior crossbite! :) Some things the team considered were my bone density (to see if the suture would cooperate and unlock) and if there was enough space in my palate to fit an expander. My entire orthodontic treatment is estimated to span 2.5-3 years. First up, active palatal expansion using MARPE! Once it achieves the desired width (should take 1 or 2 weeks), it will be left in as a retainer for a few months while the bone heals, and they will install the braces to start aligning my wonky teeth. Further down the line, a combination of TADs and elastics will be used to close the open bite. Of course there will be adjustments along the way, it's very much an observe-and-react process.....
After what felt like the millionth orthodontist telling me surgery was the only option to fix both my problems, I was feeling pretty disappointed. Then it occurred to me that not all orthodontists practice with the latest technologies, instead using only their tried-and-true treatments. It was up to me to catch up on the last 10 years of orthodontic developments and find practitioners who actually used them. Again, I want to stress the importance of using credible sources like studies, papers, and simulations published by universities or orthodontists to find the most accurate information, and consulting with practicing professionals on treatment plans. So began my meticulous, exhausting research....
I had Phase I braces treatment when I was about 11 or 12 years old to fix some crowding and alignment, and to close my open bite. My orthodontist said I could only fix the open bite with surgery when I finished growing around 16 or 17. I never wanted to do the surgery and just hoped there would be better solutions in the future. Fast forward to May 2015: my wonky teeth were starting to really bother me and I decided to revisit orthodontics. Over the next few months I went on 20+ orthodontic consults with various private practices in my area, systematically being told I have a serious anterior open bite and posterior crossbite that could only be fixed with surgery. I just could not accept that so I took it into my own hands to do some thorough research on my orthodontic issues and look for other options. My key takeaway here- look for credible sources of information, and have an orthodontist explain it to you if you are not clear on the findings. Because I have some knowledge of scientific terminology, I understood clinical studies on experimental treatment plans for two of the trickiest issues in orthodontics, both of which I happened to have. I poured over videos, studies, anatomy diagrams and more until I understood whatever I could about the mechanics behind my malocclusion. I quickly learned how versatile the human jaw and teeth are- by responding to our genetics, biology and behavioral habits throughout our lives. Jaw and dental health can affect everything from digestion, to respiration, to posture and more. It's fascinating! Read more for information I've gathered about open bites and posterior crossbites.....
Hi! My name is Divya- I am 23 and live in California. I just began my adult orthodontic journey and created this blog to share my personal experience, and I hope it will be a resource to others with similar issues. In the midst of my research I really wanted to read more about people’s experiences with their treatment, but there aren't too many progress blogs. I think my case is pretty interesting and unique- if all goes well, a previously surgery-only case could be fixed non-invasively!........
That being said, please keep these two major points in mind while reading:
1) I am not an orthodontist and have no educational training in orthodontics. I cannot advise on any treatment. Please consult a professional for your personal treatment options. 2) I found and used clinical research studies, and numerous orthodontic consults, as my primary sources of information throughout my fact-finding process. I supplemented my learning with articles, simulation videos, forums, etc. I will include hyperlinks wherever I can to show my sources ( I must have read through 100+ sources, I'll just link some key findings). Feel free to like/comment along the way! Happy reading :) |
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