Palate expanders are a very necessary orthodontic tool, but a lot of people don’t understand what they are and how they support orthodontic treatment!
It’s generally recommended for children and teenagers to obtain orthodontic treatment while they’re young because it’s possible to take advantage of a patient’s natural mouth growth in terms of their muscles and oral tissues during these ages.
Taking advantage of a child’s natural growth can always go a long way towards correcting and preventing future malocclusions. Palate expanders become very valuable orthodontic tools when they’re supporting a child’s natural growth, and they also help maximize the overall benefits and efficiency of an orthodontic treatment.
Below we’ll be going over what you need to know about palate expanders, and how they work:
What Exactly Is A Palate Expander?
The general purpose of a palate expander is actually to break the bone in an individual’s upper mouth, and although this sounds pretty scary it’s the authentic truth about these devices. A lot of orthodontists tend to shy away when it comes to explaining how palate expanders work for this precise reason, but the overall job of a palate expander is to separate a patient’s jawbone and upper mouth cartilage to help the patient experience an increased mouth size.
Enlarging the roof of an individual’s mouth via a palate expander works best when it’s being combined with a child or teenager’s natural mouth growth, and in many scenarios it is a good way to prevent future orthodontic issues.
The gradual expansion that a patient experiences with a palate expander isn’t as terrible as it sounds, and this is because the device slowly but surely puts this process into place and makes it much more comfortable for the patient.
A lot of children will undergo palate expander treatment before they experience puberty, and this is because our palates typically have two growth spurts and then fuse together during our puberty years. Palate expanders do a wonderful job at providing children with the necessary mouth room that their teeth need to grow properly.
Three Common Situations That Require A Palate Expander
The following are three common orthodontic treatment scenarios that may require the use of a palate expander:
- Crowding: Crowding just so happens to be one of the most common oral health issues that child orthodontic patients experience, and crowding will typically get pretty bad when a child’s permanent teeth are just beginning to fully come in. A lot of crowding will lead to overlapping, and many patients will experience a situation in which their teeth simply do not fit within the physical parameters of their jaws. This leads to serious problems like teeth rotation and displacement, and palate expanders can help avoid these issues when treatment begins early on!
- Crossbite: A crossbite is almost the exact opposite of dental crowding, and this oral health issue occurs when an individual’s upper jaw is too narrow to properly accommodate the lower jaw. It’s a rather serious type of misalignment that parents should be on the lookout for, and palate expanders at an early age can always go a long way at helping a young child with this issue.
- Impacted Teeth: Impacted teeth are teeth that haven’t erupted yet, and are being blocked by other teeth. Upper jaw expansion is one of the most effective ways to allow the unerupted teeth to eventually erupt in the correct positioning. This type of issue will many times be oriented around a child’s canines.
Is There A Correct Age For Someone To Get A Palate Expander?
It’s generally more effective to utilize a palate expander during a child’s younger ages, at least before they hit puberty. The ideal age for obtaining a palate expander tends to be between 7-10 years of age.
But of course you can still benefit from a palate expander if you’re over the age of 10, but they are generally not effective after 15 or so because the bone it too firm.
Reach Out To JK Orthodontics To Learn More About How We Use Palate Expanders!
JK Orthodontics has helped many patients throughout the Columbus Metro Area through using palate expanders, and if you think you or your child may need a palate expander then we’ll be sure to answer all of your questions and ensure that everyone is on the same page about this type of procedure.
So always feel free to reach out to us online or call us at 614-766-0330 (Dublin office) or 614-471-6355 (Gahanna office) to get in touch with our staff and schedule your initial consultation.
You can also request a virtual consultation and let us know what’s going on before even coming into one of our offices!