Update 1

Brennon had his first follow-up appointment with Dr. Butler today.  Things are moving along much faster than I ever thought possible.  The expander retainer said 4-6 weeks, which was much faster than I remember needing mine.  So when he said, "no more key," I was stunned.  His upper pallet is where it needs to be! 

They didn't take the retainer out, but Brennon wasn't as concerned about getting it out, only that he wouldn't have to feel dizzy every night after it was turned.  Once the front teeth are aligned properly, he made need a few more turns of the key, but for now, he needs only normal braces care.

They placed a spring on either side, between the molars and the outer brackets, actually wiring the outer brackets to the wire to ensure they didn't turn inwards towards the center teeth.  This is to help push the front four teeth together.  He'll go back in five weeks to get a larger spring, until the teeth do not have gaps. 

March 28- April 11

I love that you can already see progress of his rounded smile!

I just have to brag about my Brennon.  I was worried that he was going to complain about every aspect of this adventure, since Brennon tends to let everyone know when he's hungry, uncomfortable, hot, or tired.  Justifiably, braces do hurt.  Not only does the metal of the brackets rub against the tender skin of the inner lips, but the pulling and tugging of the teeth leave the gums and jaw feeling bruised and quite sore.  Add onto that the expanding of a mouth, and you have some very real discomfort.  But Brennon hasn't complained once.  He's never said a thing about it.  He knows he sounds different with that expander retainer, but he just corrects the difficult words and moves on.  I'm incredibly proud of how well he's dealing with all of this.  He's exceeded my expectations.  Again.

Last post I asked if there was any way he could have more metal in his moth with that expander retainer on top, spacer retainer on bottom, and the four brackets with wire.  Apparently, with the newly added springs, he can have more metal added.  I'm not going to ask that question again this time, since it could prompt Dr. Butler to add brackets to all teeth next time...