Day 26/ Tongue Soreness Quick Fix!
Today was another bad day with tongue soreness for me. When I went to the orth on Monday he tied off my RPE appliance. Basically what this means is that he put a wire through the key hole, wrapped it around a few times, then twisted the two ends together and tucked them into the side of the spring mechanism on top. This was fine, but the twisted wire is now part of the irritation going on with my tongue.
I tried all day to cover it with wax so my poor tongue could get a break but the wax just doesn't want to stay where it is put, or it melts into the grooves and leaves sharp edges again. By the time I got home I was almost in tears my tongue hurt so bad! My husband (bless is ever patient and thoughtful heart) came up with this idea and since it worked so well I felt like I had to share it.
Basically what we did was take one of the bandaid blister bandages (large size.) We trimmed off the oval shaped edges so it was just a flat rectangular shape. These bandages are not super sticky to the touch, but seal very well. They also are meant to absorb fluids from blisters so they stick well in wet or damp areas. The absortion powers are limited so they don't swell up huge but it actually sorta works to a benefit as it creates a sort of cushion. Ok...so here is what we did. I took the bandaid, cut the edges off, then slid it through the top of the appliance and out through the back. I then reached in with my fingers and pulled the section sticking out of the back of the appliance around the bottom to connect with the front of the bandaid portion (where I initially slid it in) I then pinched the two pieces together really tightly up as close as I could get it to the appliance, so that it was sorta tight. Then trimmed off the extra. I rotated it so that the sealed edges are between the top of the appliance and the roof of my mouth. OMG it was instant relief. These bandaids don't have a taste to them, they are smooth, and once the edges are sealed they hold like glue. You literally have to cut them off with a pair of scissors. I have not tried eating with one on yet as we didn't put it on til this evening, but I did drink some stuff with them and they worked great, no problems or issues at all. I will try eating tomorrow and report how that goes! At any rate I'm just so relieved to have a break from the constant rubbing and irritation! These bandaids really work well I tell you! See the pic above of what it looks like once it is on. Here is a pic of the type of bandaides you need to get.
Not sure if anyone else does this, but I have been clenching and grinding my teeth like crazy since I got this appliance. I often wake up in the mornings with a headache or my jaws aching from my night time jaw activities. I had keep getting temporal headaches in the morning from all the clenching etc.
Lower teeth are still moving but the pain has subsided and I didn't have to take any advil or pain reliever at all today. I'm so excited to see the movement and glad we are making progress.
I have slept for two nights with no appliance or rubberbands. I do feel like I'm sleeping and I'm not waking my husband up snoring so that is a good thing. I will follow up more with that later in the week but for now things seem to be going well.
I tried all day to cover it with wax so my poor tongue could get a break but the wax just doesn't want to stay where it is put, or it melts into the grooves and leaves sharp edges again. By the time I got home I was almost in tears my tongue hurt so bad! My husband (bless is ever patient and thoughtful heart) came up with this idea and since it worked so well I felt like I had to share it.
Basically what we did was take one of the bandaid blister bandages (large size.) We trimmed off the oval shaped edges so it was just a flat rectangular shape. These bandages are not super sticky to the touch, but seal very well. They also are meant to absorb fluids from blisters so they stick well in wet or damp areas. The absortion powers are limited so they don't swell up huge but it actually sorta works to a benefit as it creates a sort of cushion. Ok...so here is what we did. I took the bandaid, cut the edges off, then slid it through the top of the appliance and out through the back. I then reached in with my fingers and pulled the section sticking out of the back of the appliance around the bottom to connect with the front of the bandaid portion (where I initially slid it in) I then pinched the two pieces together really tightly up as close as I could get it to the appliance, so that it was sorta tight. Then trimmed off the extra. I rotated it so that the sealed edges are between the top of the appliance and the roof of my mouth. OMG it was instant relief. These bandaids don't have a taste to them, they are smooth, and once the edges are sealed they hold like glue. You literally have to cut them off with a pair of scissors. I have not tried eating with one on yet as we didn't put it on til this evening, but I did drink some stuff with them and they worked great, no problems or issues at all. I will try eating tomorrow and report how that goes! At any rate I'm just so relieved to have a break from the constant rubbing and irritation! These bandaids really work well I tell you! See the pic above of what it looks like once it is on. Here is a pic of the type of bandaides you need to get.
Not sure if anyone else does this, but I have been clenching and grinding my teeth like crazy since I got this appliance. I often wake up in the mornings with a headache or my jaws aching from my night time jaw activities. I had keep getting temporal headaches in the morning from all the clenching etc.
Lower teeth are still moving but the pain has subsided and I didn't have to take any advil or pain reliever at all today. I'm so excited to see the movement and glad we are making progress.
I have slept for two nights with no appliance or rubberbands. I do feel like I'm sleeping and I'm not waking my husband up snoring so that is a good thing. I will follow up more with that later in the week but for now things seem to be going well.
posted by Brandyleigh35 @ 8:19 PM
5 Comments:
At 12:03 PM,
Graham said…
Haha! Wow, nice invention Brandy! Tough times call for tough measures! I don't think I could possibly have done the acrobatics you've managed to do to get it on there, especially in my own mouth! Hey, whatever works I guess. My RPE seems a lot higher than yours so I've been mostly ok but I do find my tongue still presses up on it especially overnight. During the day I find I'm holding my teeth open to it doesn't touch.
At 1:04 PM,
Brandyleigh35 said…
Graham,
You have no idea how easy it is. Its really not hard at all and as you pointed out....desperate times call for desperate measures! I was dying....it so helps I tell you! I hate this RPE, I wish I had one like Slawdawgs. HIs is practically microscopic! I'm so jealous. My tongue will just not leave it alone either. It has to press against it constantly and most especially at night also. I think that is why I'm clenching and grinding so much lately! It is ugly I tell you!
So are you starting to feel a bit better? How are the expansions going? Hows your swelling? I'm personally finding that even after 25 days, if I overdo it, like eat too much harder type foods etc, that the next day my jaw muscles are sore and I'm puffy through my sinuses and cheekbones. I get a slight headache also. I can see that this healing process is not a really quick one.......Palate bones seem to be on their own schedule.
Brandy
At 7:17 PM,
Mrs. Shanton said…
Innovation is a great thing. Good for you! Makes you really appreciate your tongue!
At 10:08 AM,
Rex N Effex said…
Hi! I know that this entry is a little older, but I just want to say THANK YOU for putting this post up. I have a RPE & I absolutely loathe it. I just had surgery (SARPE) on July 9th and I'm almost at 3 weeks recovery (actually had the appliance put in on July 2nd - my orthodontist & oral surgeon are just evil, but seriously I love them!). Ever since they put this stupid expander in my mouth my tongue just gravitates right to it. I haven't gotten the grove marks on my tongue yet, but I'm sure I will have them once this irritating thing is removed in January (yeah, I get to have this evil device in my mouth for 6-7 more months... I had to expand... alot... I have a HUGE gap... it's wider than my fingers...almost as wide as my thumb...ouch!!!). I haven't started eating soft foods yet, I'm still on a liquid diet, but I'm going to run out and get the blister bandages immediately. And, now that I've got more room in my mouth I should be able to get the bandage around the appliance. Sorry for the long comment, but seriously thanks for the heads up!!!
At 9:44 PM,
Scott said…
My son went through this same thing. It was heartbreaking seeing him in so much pain, and nothing I could do about it. We went back to the orthodontist and he said “try to put some wax on it and tough it out”. The wax would never stay and his tongue was getting worse. The wires on his expander cut into his tongue and ended up getting infected. At night his tongue would relax and press against it and in the morning he would wake up in tears. I couldn't' take it anymore, I had to do something! I am a dental tech, so I had the resources to take an impression and pour up a plaster model of his mouth with the expander in place. I then made a bleach tray type thing that fit over the RPE, guarding his tongue. That next morning was the first time he was able to eat breakfast in 2 weeks. We were so happy! He said his tongue did not hurt at all. As the day went on his tongue got sore again, so he used the tongue guard and he immediately got relief. I wanted to help other people with this same problem, but what I made was almost impossible for anyone else to make. After about a year, I finally developed an RPE Tongue Guard that people can fit at home for instant relief. It works perfect! If you start using it the day you get your RPE you will never to go through the pain and torture my son and so many other people had to go through. If your tongue is already in pain, this Tongue Guard will give you instant relief and allow your tongue to heal fast. I just put this “RPE Tongue Guard” on Amazon.com and RPEguard.com. I know it will help.
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