Palate expanders or palatal expander devices are common tools in early orthodontic care. Children and teens may receive them if they have crowded teeth do not have enough room in their upper arch for their permanent teeth to erupt.
After a palatal expander treatment, the next step typically involves putting braces on the patient’s teeth. Braces can correct alignment issues and work more effectively after a palate expander, often shortening treatment times and helping patients achieve desired results.
What is a Palate Expander?
A palate expander is a custom-made orthodontic device designed to widen the upper jaw through palatal expansion — also called maxillary expansion — over time. The palatal bones that make up the roof of the mouth do not fully fuse until adolescence, allowing a palate expander to do its job. The expander helps create space for the permanent teeth and allows braces to work more effectively.
The palate expander is a stainless-steel device that the orthodontist bonds to the back teeth at the back of the upper jaw. This device includes a small key that the parents turn once or twice daily, gradually widening the jaw. Patients may feel pressure during this process, which is normal. Over time, new bone forms as the gentle expansion widens the jaw, allowing better permanent tooth alignment.
Conditions Treated By a Palate Expander
Malocclusion
A palate expander allows more space for the permanent teeth to erupt in the right places, addressing crowded teeth and supporting overall dental health. The patient’s teeth will come in straighter, and subsequent braces treatment may be less complicated.
Prevent Impacted Teeth
When teeth become impacted, they cannot emerge through the gums in the proper location. Gum tissue or bone blocks an impacted tooth from erupting. The most commonly impacted permanent teeth are the canines. Palate expanders often allow the impacted teeth to erupt without extracting healthy teeth, preserving oral health.
Crossbite
Crossbites — including anterior crossbite — happen when the upper and lower jaw are different in size. A narrow jaw is usually the cause, meaning the bottom teeth bite outside the upper teeth. Untreated crossbites can lead to TMJ, excessive tooth wear, facial changes, and other bite issues.
Underbite
An underbite happens when the front teeth on the lower jaw bite outside the top teeth. Palate expanders can help with this condition as well.
Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea may happen when a child or teen has a narrow upper jaw, meaning the airway becomes blocked during sleep. Correcting the jaw’s size using palate expanders can improve overall health and have a lower chance of serious complications.
Improve Smile Aesthetics
Palate expanders can make the patient’s smile broader and brighter.
Frequently Asked Questions About Orthodontics
At what age should you start orthodontic treatment for palatal expansion?
Ideally, children should see an orthodontist for the first time at age seven. The permanent teeth begin to emerge around this time, and the orthodontist can determine the possibility of future dental issues and recommend a treatment plan. Interceptive orthodontic care, including using devices like palate expanders, can also begin earlier in childhood.
Can an adult get a palatal expander?
By the time a patient reaches adulthood, the palate bones have fused. This means that a palate expansion is less effective for adult patients, and a palate expander is less likely to produce the same results as it does for children and teens.
Call Greater Hartford Orthodontics
If your child or teen has a narrow upper jaw and your orthodontist recommends a palate expander, you may be concerned about this intervention. Palate expanders are safe and effective and produce only minor discomfort, particularly in the first few days after installation. Your orthodontist will provide proper care instructions to support a smooth expansion treatment.
Please call our Newington, CT, office at 860-667-8277 to learn more about palate expanders and how they can help your child or teen achieve a healthy smile.