Update
Just wanted to pop on and give an update. Lately i have been experiencing a lot of TMJ. At the moment only 4 teeth in the back touch. It feels like I'm constantly forcing my mouth closed. At rest my mouth just hangs open. I've also noticed that I've had dry lips and dry mouth every morning now. I'm assuming this is due to my jaw just flapping open as I sleep. I can tell that my jaw is tilted down on the right side of my face. I get more contact on that side, but that's the side I experience more pain on, maybe because it's doing all the work? I also noticed that the right side did not expand as much as it did on the left. This is not a big deal to me because Dr. Bell told me that he can widen it more during my second surgery.
I am able to chew and eat anything I want to. I don't have any pain in my palate at all! My teeth are straightening out so quickly, I mainly have gaps that need closing now. I still have my expander in place. Dr. Kawata said its best to keep it in so that my palate will be stabilized correctly. Sometimes orthos will take them out too quickly, and then the patient ends up having complications due to the bone not being completely healed. I guess I can put it this way.....Its like breaking a bone and then getting the cast on. My expander is like my palate cast, it's just that this cast had to stay on for 6 months after expansion. I have an ortho appointment next week, and I am super excited because I will be finding out when the expander is coming out of my mouth! I really hope he takes it out that day... fingers crossed!
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