I'm 28 and scheduled to have an expander put in on Friday. I was told it's to fix some crossbite issues. I was reading various articles online and the SARPE threads, and was surprised to see negative opinions about it.
I understand a non-surgical expander doesn't often do true palate expansion, but I was worried to read a couple opinions about teeth relapsing some time after the expander is removed.
Can anyone comment about their personal experiences using a non-surgical expander as an adult? I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks
Question about non-surgical expanders in adults
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riotshield
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Sun May 25, 2008 11:47 pm
Hi I'm 28 as well. I currently have an expander in but have finished expanding. The way my ortho explained it is that the actual pallet does not expand but the bone surrounding the teeth is pushed outward and will move as the arch expands. That is true for most adults. Although rare, i've read a study where adults as old as 34 split their pallet non-surgically. I can't really comment on long term results but i did manage to get 6mm of expansion. I did not get a gap between my 2 front teeth but i got a large gap between my molar and a few very very slight gaps between canines and premolars. My top back teeth definatly sit on the outside of my bottom whereas it used to be the opposite. I did get some tipping in my teeth but the ortho does not seem worried about it and said it will be easily fixed. If you start noticing tipping just stop turning the expander and see your ortho and he'll let you know if its ok to coninue. They can always have you expand more, but there is nothing they can do if you expand too much. In terms of relapse, i'm told i'm to have permanant retainers on the back of my teeth as well as a Hawley retainer during sleep pretty much forever.
Just like any other approach they are certain risks involved. Just ask your ortho a lot of questions and trust that they know what they're doing.
Just like any other approach they are certain risks involved. Just ask your ortho a lot of questions and trust that they know what they're doing.
I've been out of my braces for nearly a year now. My orthodontic experience began with 6 months in an expander. No surgery. While the expander was a hassle at times it did a good job. My upper arch is noticably wider (bigger, wider smile). I did get small gaps between all of my front 6 teeth. it took a little while to learn to speak clearly with the expander in, but overall it was well worth the hassles.