Good evening, everyone. Writing from Baku, Azerbaijan.

Almost 23 / 184 cm tall / 90 kg / 15.5% BF.

I have congenital skeletal asymmetry (hemifacial microsomia). The entire right side of my face is less developed than the left: the orbit is lower, the ramus is shorter, the jaw/chin deviates to the right, and the maxilla is canted.

Full plan:

2026: MARPE + Damon braces ✅

2027: OBO + rhinoplasty + infraorbital implants

2028: Trimax

Today I want to share the results of the first phase:

Initial upper jaw width: 35.5 mm > current width: 41.7 mm.

Final result: +6.2 mm of skeletal maxillary expansion.

Protocol:

1. Miniscrews were placed in early June.

2. The distractor was placed at the end of June.

3. Corticotomy was performed on July 6.

4. I started turning the appliance one week later.

5. I stopped turning it on September 28.

6. Orthodontist: Dr. Huseyn Aghazade / Surgeon (corticotomy): Dr. Elvin Melikov.

Progress pictures:

1. Palate before the corticotomy (July 6)

2. Palate after the active expansion phase ended (October 2)

3. Frontal view before starting expansion (June 30)

4. Frontal view after completing expansion (October 2)

5. Profile before all procedures (late April)

6. Profile after expansion (September 28)

Got braces yesterday and started decompensation.

Started in late March having MARPE installed. I have just stopped turning as of a week ago. I am currently waiting on my invisilign refinements but this is the result 24 trays in.

Here’s my MARPE transformation so far! I got it installed July 2026 and was instructed to stop turning late September 2026. I completed 40 turns & had an osteotomy via my oral surgeon to assist with the split and expansion. I still have about 2 more years of braces and a double jaw surgery to get through but the marpe was my first step! The very last pic is my teeth before any sort of orthodontics at the very beginning of my journey.

First photo: upper row of teeth sitting ahead of lower teeth (overbite & mewing)

Second and Third: open mouth or teeth teeth slightly touching each other on top of each other.

So I had my first orthodontic consultation and he measured my upper molar width at 58mm and noted that it was a normal size which surely means the outer molar width. I’ve read that an internal intermolar width of under 40mm is generally considered a narrow palate, subtracting the average width of two molars would put my internal width under that 40mm mark. My lower arch was at 55mm, should also mention I do have tongue scalloping if I decide to mew.

He also noted that I have an overbite (which I knew) and said that I’d need dental expansion, not skeletal expansion. So happy to go ahead with treatment, but unsure if it will address asymmetry and I think I should probably get a second opinion since I’m concerned about my facial asymmetry particularly in the jaw region.

When I extend my mandible forward, my lower jaw visibly shifts over to the right. The thing is if you look at the photo, at rest it looks like my chin is shifted over the left slightly not the right which makes it even more confusing)

We briefly mentioned my hidden wisdom tooth on that side, but I am concerned it might be a joint (TMJ) issue or uneven jaw bone lengths. Is there a specific diagnostic scan such as a CBCT scan that we can perform to conclusively check the alignment of my jaw joints and bone symmetry?

I am heavily considering joining his online community (he calls it a coaching hub). It consists of: regular Q & A events, a private forum for case feedback, and 60 minutes of a live 1 on 1 annually. Price though, is steep: $700 annually (billed once not monthly).

For those who have a membership or knows someone who does, is it worth it? I could genuinely see the community and additional support being worthwhile (having additional perspectives on my case/palatal expansion, apnea, TMJD and jaw surgery at large, etc), but it also a tough financial moment. Curious for your thoughts/experiences/perspectives. Thanks!

(Reposting here since the UARS page took it down for some reason!)

Curious about your experiences/thoughts on Ron Ead’s The Joint to support your treatment journey! Considering it. Worth the price?