Installation of TADs

I had my TADs (temporary anchor devices) installed today. They are the little screws that anchor the MSE to my maxilla. The procedure was surprisingly simple. I sat down in the chair and the nurse (anesthesiologist maybe?) strapped me up with an oxygen sensor, blood pressure cuff, IV, and something else that I didn’t recognize.

When the surgeon came in we talked a bit, then nurse put the sedation in me and I was out. I woke up in an armchair in the recovery room. It felt instantaneous, which was disorienting. My mouth hurt a bit. I stayed for a bit then I was walked outside where my sister was waiting in her car. She drove me home and made sure I was properly drugged up. She is an anesthesiologist at a dental office, so she knew what I needed.

By the time I was home my mouth hurt quite a bit. I took the combination of Advil and Tylenol that she recommended, then I had breakfast for lunch. After that I went to bed and slept for a while. When I woke up the pain was mostly gone, but there was still a dull ache.

I am pretty sure that I can sense the pain from the holes in the soft tissue separately from the pain in the bone. The top of my mouth feels like I burnt it on hot coffee, which I assume is the drill holes hurting. I also have a general sense that something is wrong in the middle of my head, which is not an area that I usually experience pain. It reminds of when I badly twisted my knee and dislocated my kneecap or when my appendix burst. Those were two events where I felt a new pain where I don’t usually feel pain. Even with pain meds there is the general sense that something is wrong in my mouth. I wonder if I will have that feeling as long as it is in.

My orthodontist told me I could start my turning protocol as soon as the TADs were in. To minimize pain and give my mouth time to adjust I’ll start turning the morning after. My face has had enough today. I will be turning once a day until the suture splits.

My bite is really messed up, I have a sore tooth, and my TMJs are doing fine. Having bands around my first molars has pushed the teeth apart so they no longer fit the way they did, so there is no comfortable way to bite. If I pull my jaw back I can get my banded upper first molars to both make contact, but that is uncomfortable. If I pull my jaw to the left they make better contact, but that is hard on my right TMJ. If I rest my jaw further out where it feels natural then all the contact is on my right first molar, which is exceptionally sensitive right now from the banding procedure. I think I have to get used to having a weird bite for the next few years. on the up-side, I can now sort of imagine how my teeth will eventually fit together properly.