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Subject: Expander anxiety, help!


Author:
joplin
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Date Posted: 03:01:33 08/25/04 Wed
 Hi, I've been reading the archives of this message board and found quite some info of wearing a palatal expander, but I'm still terribly nervous about getting one myself.
How did you, former or current expander wearers, make yourselves accept the less than thrilling idea of having the lisp and the gap and a mouth full of metal for so many months? I'm facing a 6 months engagement with the appliance.

How did you get accustumed to the appliance once you had it put in? I mean first of all I have a terrible gag reflex - can't even brush without gagging - and I'm afraid the expander may put me in panic, if they will be able to put it in my mouth in the first place! Last time my dentist couldn't take those little w-rays of my back teeth because I simply gagged out the tools, tears falling down my face! Does the expander make you gag???

History: my ortho wants to have my maxilla widened because of my unerupted upper canines + a cross bite. Those canines can neither be removed nor pulled down in line until more space is made up there for the ortho to work in. In fact my upper #2's and #3's are completely messed up and stuck together up there now and trying to get those canines out of there could be harmful to my #2's in that crowded space. So the expansion seems something that can not be avoided if I'm going to get anything done. My ortho keeps telling me my case is a challenging one out of ordinary, which does not make me feel at ease at all!

I definately want my teeth fixed. Not because of how they look but because they are wearing out on me little by little due to bad bite. So initial motivation is not a problem, I'm just very scared of the expander appliance and living with it. Actually looking forward to getting those braces maybe 6 months after the expansion is over, though!
Any words of encouregement will be greatly appreceated!
I'm sorry to be such a baby about this at the age of 35, but as a former patient with an untolerable fear of dentists I think I've come a long way ;)
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Replies:
Subject Author Date
Re: Expander anxiety, help!joplin03:03:21 08/25/04 Wed
Re: Expander anxiety, help!skowjams08:56:49 08/25/04 Wed
Re: Expander anxiety, help!Kristie09:11:52 08/25/04 Wed
Re: Expander anxiety, help!JonK15:01:11 08/26/04 Thu

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