"pallet expander woahs.." poor DS

[AnnMorin]

has anyone else had a child that had a pallet expander installed prior to braces? DS (10) had it put in on tuesday and is a mess, he can't speak,.. (sounds like mush mouth from fat albert..I wouldn't ever tell HIM that) can't eat.. everything makes him gag. /his mouth hurts horribly and I have to turn the screw tonight.. the orthodontist said it takes about three days for them to adapt to it but I feel so bad for him... any suggestions?

 

[Serena]

He will get used to it. Soft foods and not watching him eat will help.
Breakfast shakes will help too. Just until he is able to get used to it.

 

[Tinkbell]

I had one. I totally feel for your son. The othodontist even gave me a "special" note saying I didn't have to participate in classroom discussions. It took me around a week to get used to it. I was talking like my normal self again. I remember being very uncomfortable at first. I ate a lot of soup during that first week. My mom was worse about it than I was. The first time she turned it, the key got stuck. It really wasn't stuck, she was just so afraid of it at first because she didn't want to hurt me. The turning didn't hurt. I just felt a sort of tingling sensation around my nose area. ((HUGS)) to you and DS.

 

[aahmom1]

Poor baby My nephew had one, when my SIL told me about it, I said it sounded like a torture device, but he got used to it.

 

[amid chaos]

In another week, he will forget it's even there...in the meantime go get him some yummy soft foods, like ice cream and pudding, mac and cheese.

DS said that when I turned the key he felt pressure, not pain, right up the bridge of his nose.

Also, make sure you have something tied to the key, like floss, and wrap it around your wrist before you put it in his mouth.

 

[AnnMorin]

I just turned it ( oh I felt like an abusive mom ) but that did not bother him.. I am so glad to hear what he is going through is normal and that he will get past it.. he is having such a hard time right now... thanks again!

 

[kinlaw6450]

My cousin had that. I needed it...but my parents saw how horribly miserable she was and I never got it. I look back now and wish I had. Thankfully my teeth are not really that bad. I couldn't get the braces either though since the "stretcher" was nessesary to make them work.

 

[Pin Wizard]

That sounds horrid! If they ever want to put it on DS, forget it!

 

[disfanatiks]

DD (age 12) had a quadhelix put in last Thursday. I feel so fortunate after reading this, because she had very few effects. She spoke a little different with certain words for the first day..(i.e. church, just and word).

DD's ortho told her when she went home to go in her room and read aloud from a book and this would help any problems with speech.

She was fearful of eating for the first couple of days, but she is doing just fine now.

We were afraid because DD attends an Art School and auditioned to get into two classes choral classes next year, but alas her pitch and range are just fine. We had it put in the week after school let out for summer just so she would have the summer to adjust....

PD and prayers for your DS. I hope that he gets better very soon.

 

[AnnMorin]

I don't know if all of them are the same, Mike's is a metal hinge hooked up to a screw in the top of his mouth, you turn the screw with this needle thing and it pushes his jaw more,, sounds horrible-looks even worse but it is suppossed to save many extractions., I had seven teeth pulled for my braces and he will have none pulled. I felt SO bad turning the screw.. three weeks until the spring is sprung and just does its work on its own and no screw turning. At least his ortho does not make you do two turns a day like most, he would rather it take longer and hurt less... poor kid he really does sound exactly like that mush mouth character on fat albert and the cosby kids...

 

[AnnMorin]

Your daughter is very lucky! Although I don't know if she has the same kind DS has, his is called a PHD appliance with a goshgarian palatal wire. He sounds terrible right now and is having such troubles eating.. and his jaw is sore but hopefully soon he will be ok.

 

[kasar]

Poor kid. My second daughter just had hers removed. Oldest daughter has had hers off for about a year. Is your son making that awful noise after he eats to get the food out? When I heard my youngest daughter speak for the first time with it, I almost made them take it off right there. I was convinced that crooked teeth were much better than a permanent speech impediment! But after about a week, it was fine. Are you turning the key twice a day or once? Twice is harder but gets it done much faster. Good luck! Glad we're done with THAT phase, now onto other torture devices. I think our orthodontist should buy his own island in the Caribbean with our money!!

 

[disfanatiks]

{{{HUGS}}} I was just telling DD about that. She definately does not have the screw that I have to turn. So, the device sounds different.

I will keep him in my thoughts as I know the anxiety that you must be feeling right now.

 

[snuggles]

My dd had one when she was 5. I think it hurt us more than it hurt her. At 5 it was kinda cool to have daddy turn the key, at 10 I don't think it would be quite as cool. The mush mouth went away pretty quick though. Bless his heart, I hope he adjusts quickly.

 

[nancy679]

Both my DD's had it, and they adjusted well within a day or two. I only had to turn the key for about 3 weeks, then it was locked in place for about 6 months, then that was it and the ortho took it out.

 

[Kirby]

My daughter had an upper palate expander put in and braces put on three weeks ago. She also had had a permanent molar pulled a month ago because it was either that or have a root canal (pulling was cheaper). So she had to have her gum sliced so her 12 year molar could come throught quicker and brought forward. The first couple of days she could hardly eat anything, pudding and jello included. But after her first trip back to the orthodontist today, her upper palate has expanded to where we only have to crank her for one more week and her 12 year molar has moved forward half a tooth length. She's a little sore tonight but not as sore as she was three weeks ago.

The hardest part for her is not being able to chew gum and eat chips, popcorn and hard candy.

 

[cgcw]

We went through this with DS8 just a couple of month back. I wasn't so sure we'd get through it either but we (he) adapted really well. Soft foods, cut into bite size pieces the first couple of days helped. Once in a while when he talks I'm reminded that the expander is in place, but for the most part, his speech has progressed and adjusted very well. Next week we start with the braces on the front two top teeth. We'll be back to square one.

Originally posted by Tinkbell
The turning didn't hurt. I just felt a sort of tingling sensation around my nose area.

This is exactly how my DS8 describes the tightening.

 

[sha_lyn]

DNi has a "device" attached to her braces that lenghtens her lower jaw bone. Bless her heart, she drooled for a while becauce her lips coudn't meet. She also couldn't speak plainly (try talking wihtout touching your lips together) It took a while for her lips/mouth to stretch around the device. Eating wasn't too bad (other than the usual braces problems) except she had to chew with her mouth opened because it would not close. Several weeks later, I didn't even realize she still had the device. She could speak better and close her mouth/lips all the way.

 

[BuzzMe]

I feel for your son. I had mine a while ago but that was def an experience. All I remember was the first nite I couldn't eat my burger king cause I couldn't function with it. My mom used to call me Letterman because of the beautiful space I had in the front of my teeth. It eventually gets better. When I got it taken out, it was soo wierd. Almost missed it when it was gone (haha).

 

[luvflorida]

When my oldest daughter was 12 years old she had a pallet expander put in prior to braces being put on. There were different colors to choose from and she chose a tye-dye expander, very colorful! It took her about a week to fully adjust to the expander, and I remember she had a hard time pronouncing some of her words. I used the tiny key-like device to turn the screw on the expander for the first few days. I hated doing it. I felt like I was torturing her! Thankfully, she wanted to do it herself after the frist few days, and she did fine, much better than I thought she would do. I remember my biggest concern was that she was going away for a few days with her Girl Scout Troop and I was frantically trying to explain to the Scout leader how to turn the screw, but my daughter did it herself with no problems.

After the expander was in for a bit, she had top and bottom braces put on her teeth, along with a lip bumper. She had a mouthful of appliances! My daughter just turned 19, and she now has a beautiful set of teeth.

I bet it won't be long and your son will be doing just fine with his expander. Here's to beautiful teeth!