Schwartz Expander Problems

[Cutea]

Hello Everyone!
I'm an adult (29 years old) and I just got a Schwartz (removable) palatal expander last week. My orthodontist told me to turn it once per day, which I have been doing without too many problems.. However, last night, when I turned the screw and tried to put it in my mouth, it was SO tight that it wouldn't go in...I had to loosen it back to the previous hole. I've also been having a lot of jaw pain with it, and taking it out to eat/putting it back in is torture.. does anyone else here have one of these? I've hated every minute of it, actually. It's painful, annoying, makes me drool, and I can't speak properly at work. Do you all think that my orthodontist is having me turn it too frequently? I read that with adults who are being expanded, it's not more than 2-3 turns per WEEK.

I had a lot of orthodontic work as a child, starting at age 8 until 14.. I had braces, headgear, lip bumper, palatal expander (fixed one), the whole works. I'm back getting orthodontics again because of a crossbite that is affecting my ability to chew properly and causes jaw pain. My ortho said I have to wear this removable palatal expander for 6-8 weeks, and then I'll be getting braces for a little over 1 year. I read that expansion is possible with braces alone, is this true? I wish I could just get braces instead of this stupid thing.

[Featheryy1221]

Hi. I didn't have a removable expander, however I did have a bonded expander in for 6 months. Expanders are used to actually expand the palatal bone. If the palatal bone isn't fused together, you can use an expander. Whereas braces are used to move teeth into their proper in the existing bone. Sometimes crossbites that aren't as bad can be fixed by braces and elastics alone. There are some people on here that have had that. But this isn't always possible for everyone, unfortunately. Some bracket brands claim that they can make smile's wider, but I think it's only to a certain extent.

You asked about turning, and I myself had to turn my expander once every night. Some ortho's order once every two days, others only once every few days. It really just depends on the orthodontist.

As for the speech, it will get somewhat better. But I won't lie, there will always be a list of words you won't be able to say properly the entire time you have an expander. No matter how much practice.

The amount of pain you're getting is a bit concerning. I didn't have too much pain, but then of course my pain tolerance is pretty high. Are you supposed to turn the appliance before you put it in your mouth? Because that doesn't really make sense to me. I would think it'd be similar to a fixed expander, like you'd turn it while it's in your mouth. I don't know.
Good luck!

[Cutea]

Thanks for your reply!! To answer your question, yes, I turn the screw and then put the expander in my mouth.. maybe that's the problem: after it's been tightened, trying to get it back in my mouth is painful and difficult. I'm starting to wish that I was given a fixed expander instead. This one is very uncomfortable.

I talked to my ortho today and she said that it could be that my jaw isn't keeping up with the rate of expansion, and if it's too tight/painful, I can do half-turns, or wait a day and then turn it. However, she said this will lengthen the overall treatment time (ugh!!)

My new trick is going to be doing 2 half-turns per day, so one in the morning, and one at night. This might give my jaw a break... I hate this thing!

[Cutea]

I wanted to add that with a removable expander, I was told to turn it OUTSIDE of my mouth... maybe I should ask if it can be turned while I'm wearing it? That may solve some problems. The one I have is different than the metal fixed ones, though, which are meant to be turned in the mouth.

[Featheryy1221]

Oh okay. I wasn't sure how the removable ones worked. I'd do what your ortho recommended. Even though it sucks it will take longer. :/
Hang in there. I hope it gets better for you. Expanders in general can be a real pain, but you'll be super happy with the results once you're done. But you already know that from previous experience. Haha.

[Cutea]

I've been turning it every other day for the past few days, and that has been a lot better.. I still have the pressure and shooting jaw pain, but it only lasts a short time and then I'm fine. When I was turning it every day, the pain was really bad and the stupid thing was SO tight that it wouldn't even go into my mouth..

Does anyone turn theirs every other day or less frequently? I read that children can handle more frequent turns because their jaws are still growing and malliable.

[rebecca121760]

My 16 year old just started with the the Scwartz applience 3 days ago. He said he thought that they had turned it forward an extra showing me and he forgot to turn it back. This essentially meant that it was and 1/8 wider that it should have been. He was so incredibly miserable the first two days that I was thinking we had made a mistake. We are going to give it an extra day before turning it the first time which will be tomorrow. Poor guy has been miserable, this my kid with the super pain tolerance. He is supposed to turn it every three days. Our ortho believes that slow palate expander work better, especially on adults and older teenagers (he is 16).

[rebecca121760]

He also told Noah to pushup on the inside of his aches several times a day with his thumbs, holding it for a minute and to hold it more like 5 or 6 minutes the day he is turning the key on the schwartz.

[sirwired]

To answer your question about expanding with braces only...

Nope. Braces alone can widen your visible smile, but you can't expand your palate with just a dinky archwire. It's either an exapander and/or surgery.

[IrishGuy1234]

hi all ,
I have the Schwartz expansion removable device in place over 4 months now, less than 5 months , my orthodontist told me to stop turning last month, so im now using it as retainer , how long do I need to use it as a retainer and also how many hours a day should I use it as a retainer , ( im using the original device as the retainer, just not turning the screw any more.) thanks in advance ! I meant to ask my dentist.

Regards,
from Ireland

[sirwired]

You really need to ask your ortho, but until you hear back, I'd assume 24 hours a day (except for eating) probably for several months at least. At which point you might be able to shift to nights-only. (For adult jaw expansion, you will probably be wearing a retainer at night for the rest of your life.)