![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
I'm about a year into my journey already: my palate expander was put in place Oct. 29 2005, my buccal corticotomy (and wisdom teeth extractions) happened on Nov. 10, 2005, I got some of my braces mid-December and the full set was completed in January.
I suppose the toughest part of all this has been the fact that my teeth haven't meshed since the surgery, so I haven't been able to chew food in almost a year; the expansion put about 1/4" of width into my top jaw -- it's pretty incredible. But - I have lost 70 lbs, and my teeth are getting straighter every day, so I'm pretty happy.
I'd love to hear from anyone who has had this type of expansion -- I have absolutely no expectations left as to when I might be able to chew again... but would like to get some feeling for it. My ortho just says it will happen. Kinda like when they told me I'd have my expander for 6-8 weeks... and that lasted 10 months.
Oh, a bit about myself: I'm a 49 year old wife, mom to two teenage boys, and archer.
Hope I can contribute a bit to easing anyone's anxiety over this process -- I've had some bumps in the road, but nothing that couldn't be fixed.
Thanks for reading!