There are two tension points that can be adjusted on the device. The first is the screw inside his mouth which is expanding the front of his palate and closing the back of his palate. I turn the screw two clicks, or one full rotation, twice a day. Cullen doesn't mind it all. He just looks at me and usually giggles while I do it.
The second is controlled by rubber chains and will pull the premaxilla (the front section of gum that will hold his four front teeth) back into alignment with his gums. This part of the device was activated last Friday by the orthodontist and he was pleased to see that the device was already working, even though the rubber chains had not been tightened yet. Cullen's nose is beginning to be pulled down and the premaxilla is moving back into his mouth. I am taking pictures daily because it is changing so quickly.
Cullen did well during the tightening of the chains, but clearly was uncomfortable later in the day. For those of you who have had braces, this is similar to get your braces tightened- not fun. Next time the little dude will get a quick dose of tylenol immediately following the appointment to take the edge off.
Things are progressing well. Our next appointment with the orthodontist is April 14th. He said I will need to continue to turn the screw until this Friday or until it won't turn anymore- whichever comes first. Although this isn't a difficult thing to do, I will be glad when I don't need to do it anymore. The trickiest thing is trying to do it while Brady is not looking. The last thing I need is Brady mimicking mommy and putting a screw driver in Cullen's mouth!
Cleft stuff aside, Cullen is doing very well. He sleeps from 7 pm till 8 am, provided he doesn't break out of his swaddle. We wake him up around 11 pm for a quick feeding, but are starting to phase this out. This means by 8 pm my house has two sleeping children upstairs and two tired parents downstairs!
Brady is also doing well. He loves weekends because he gets to sleep in. During the week we wake him up at 8 am. Seems reasonable, eh? Especially when he goes to sleep at 7:30 pm and takes a two hour nap midday! But there are still some days when he is clearly tired. This morning he slept in until 9 am and he is still in his pjs. He definitely has his Daddy's sleeping genes!
Glad to see a picture of Cullen happy with the Latham (75/100 in your March gallery). He looks like a happy baby with the mouth of an 11-year-old with braces!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank God those arm restraints were a waste - they look more uncomfortable than the potentially stylish orthodontia.
Considering a trip to Houston for Easter -
omg--I didn't even think about Brady watching you! That would be special! I'm totally empathizing with my little "Pudge" and reliving the years of braces. Poor guy! He's such a trooper for smiling through it all.
ReplyDeleteIs Brady still in his swim lessons? I saw the cute pics of him in the pool.
Yeah, and I can see you Rebecca when the boys are teenagers, doing like my mom used to do...running the vacuum right up next to the door on a Saturday morning at about 8 a.m. saying "oh, sorry...were you still asleep?"
The furry kids and I are heading to Baton Rouge tomorrow for a couple of weeks, but I'll still be checkin' in on ya. Have a wonderful Easter-
Love and hugs to all (human and furry)
Sounds like "Pudge" doing OK.We can hardly wait to see him next week. Glad he's not too uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteCan't fault Brady for sleeping in. I too like to sleep unlike your dad who is up at the crack of dawn.
it's a good idea to not let Brady see you turn the screw. He's have his tool chest out in a flash I bet.
See ya all soon.