Trials of Life - Braces

Drum wears a bridge expander on his upper jaw.
This is the tool used to daily expand it a tiny, tiny bit:

This is how it is done:

This is how one feels afterwards:
He has to do this for two to three weeks. Then it stays in place for 3 months. It affects his speech and the speed he can eat. He is now the last one at the table, taking the time to slowly get his stomach full. I'm glad it is summer and he doesn't have to do algebra problems with a mouth that feels like this.