Padawan Learner is not a happy boy right now. In addition to his Plain Jane braces, our orthodontist (the evil Grand Moff Tarkin) has [...]]]> Luke:          ”There is still good in him.”     [referring to Darth Vader]
Obi-Wan:    ”He’s more machine now than man; twisted and evil.”
Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi

Padawan Learner is not a happy boy right now. In addition to his Plain Jane braces, our orthodontist (the evil Grand Moff Tarkin) has just installed a Herbst appliance on his lower jaw for the second time. This is one serious piece of orthodontia; it is also a serious pain in the kid’s mouth, cheeks, jaw bone and teeth. It places additional stress on the jaw bone, stretching it out so that it will fill in with more bone while his body is still growing, so that it will grow longer and line up appropriately with the front teeth. It works, or I wouldn’t have him go through this again. The before and after pictures from the first time around are pretty striking, but since he’s continued to grow by leaps and bounds his lower jaw wasn’t able to keep up. Hence, he has the 2nd Herbst. So here he is, quickly moving towards having little more than metal in his mouth for the next nine to twelve months. Poor kid. But at least there’s still good in him.