DNA Appliance Thread

@thomas22 Is it painful or uncomfortable?  What does it feel like?

Because I have the opposite – I have had pressure in the bridge of my nose for the past couple years ever since going on CPAP.  I assume the pressure was due to my upper jaw being retruded and maxilla vaulted, and that DNA would help bring it down and forward (CCW rotation) and potentially relieve that pressure.

@toomer

It varies from mild pressure, to light pain. The pain runs in a straight line, right down my nasal bone to where it meets the cartilage. I’m going to pause expansion for little while to see what happens.

I also have some pain in the left hemisphere of my face, in the sinus areas, that comes and goes. This is the underdeveloped side of my face.

I did search around on the internet, and pain at the nose bridge is listed as a side effect of traditional palate expansion in children. I didn’t see it mentioned by any DNA providers, or anyone who uses slow palatal expansion. The advice I saw from traditional practitioners was slow down, and take a Tylenol.

I do have a deviated septum.

I’m not worried about the pain, one of the most noticeable changes in the before and after photos, is growth in that region. The bones appear to shift forward. I expect the nasal bone undergoes some compression, due to the palate expander.

Changes creep up on you.

My face is very symmetrical now. 

I don’t have normal forward growth, especially compared to my siblings, but hopefully that will also improve with time.

@thomas22 Really encouraging, appreciate the update.

My maxilla is rotated counter clockwise, and so I asked about it. 

My provider was cautious about making any promises, but he said that if it does change, it would be because of the tongue tie release. 

The rear of my tongue needs to support the rear of my palate. 

Just an update on my experience so far: my under eye support has improved so much when I smile! I still get smile lines of course, but they are less pronounced. I’ve noticed this more recently in the last month, so I’m not sure if it’s due to the controlled arch braces bringing the teeth forward to close up the gaps, and then my skin and lips are sitting over the teeth roughly where they would have had I never had extractions in the first place, or whether there has been a cascade effect upwards of new bone growth around my upper cheeks, or both. But it’s good progress, nonetheless. 

I do still occasionally get jaw pain on the right side of my face, but it was far more frequent before I had the DNA appliance. Plus I imagine it will subside completely once my upper and lower teeth are completely aligned and the face sits in balance.

I started hyperbaric treatment this week for unrelated reasons. 

Hyperbaric medicine does many things, but it also mobilizes stem cells and speeds up bone remodeling. 

 I felt some pressure in my face during diving, and the bones around my nose were sore when I finished. I have the impression my sutures are loose, from my expander, and I think the session may have moved my bones around. 

 I say that, because of the pressure and soreness I felt, and because it feels like my nasal volume has increased. I’m breathing easily through both nostrils.

Posted by: @toomer

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which is odd, because the DNA can usually do that once you start expanding the maxilla the mandible often untraps itself

@toomer Any source for this comment? Not that I don’t believe you, I just likely need it done for myself.