Metal Mouth Message Board

Ed 1020, Wilckodontics doesn't open sutures to expand the palate. During the surgical procedure, additional bone is added with bone grafts. A Palate Expander and braces is then used to move the teeth into the new bone. The end result is a thicker arch with more permanent stability, with the teeth in a new location.

My son is 16 and wearing a Schwartz expander for his constricted upper jaw. They are doing slow palatal expansion over 9 months then will treat his tongue thrust with a myobrace and he will wear standard braces for his open bite. We may have to use tads at some point or even surgery. Wish us luck.

[quote="dantocanada"]Ed 1020, Wilckodontics doesn't open sutures to expand the palate. During the surgical procedure, additional bone is added with bone grafts. A Palate Expander and braces is then used to move the teeth into the new bone. The end result is a thicker arch with more permanent stability, with the teeth in a new location.[/quote]

so there is no effect on face skeletally and thus on facial width, as this is the case with SARPE?

Not really sure if SARPE widens facial width. I guess it could, although I'm not sure how noticeable it is? My width expansion was only 7mm. In any case, it worked and I'm very happy with the results.

Hi thorin,

We seem to have the same problem n I'm new to this forum also. Can you please let me know if you went ahead with the palatial expander? Did your ortho sound confident that it would work or did they outline the possibility that it may not? I'm getting mine fitted next month and just realising from reading more posts on this forum that I need to speak to my ortho a lot more!! He seemed confident that it would widen my arch as mine is currently 44 and he said he could widen it to 52..but now I'm freaking out that it might make my face shape which is long and thin even worse. I've gone from really excited to really nervous about doing this. My teeth are fine pretty straight etc I just have a very narrow jaw and wanted to widen it as I can't fit my tongue fully against the roof of my mouth, it kinda rests between my teeth. Also the teeth on my right side are collapsing in more and that side arch is narrower than the left so he said that would even out.

Would love to hear where you are at and share our experience together!

Thanks

Rubyg wrote:Hi thorin,

We seem to have the same problem n I'm new to this forum also. Can you please let me know if you went ahead with the palatial expander? Did your ortho sound confident that it would work or did they outline the possibility that it may not? I'm getting mine fitted next month and just realising from reading more posts on this forum that I need to speak to my ortho a lot more!! He seemed confident that it would widen my arch as mine is currently 44 and he said he could widen it to 52..but now I'm freaking out that it might make my face shape which is long and thin even worse. I've gone from really excited to really nervous about doing this. My teeth are fine pretty straight etc I just have a very narrow jaw and wanted to widen it as I can't fit my tongue fully against the roof of my mouth, it kinda rests between my teeth. Also the teeth on my right side are collapsing in more and that side arch is narrower than the left so he said that would even out.

Would love to hear where you are at and share our experience together!

Thanks

I had a regular palatal expander and it didnt make my face thinner....

If anything my face looks more that it should have always looked.

Honestly I wouldn't worry about that.

I'd be more concerned with whether or not it'll work for you. Sometimes nonsurgical palatal expansion can be done, sometimes it can't. That was what I was more concerned about when I started treatment...

Hello everyone im new here i have a very narrow palate also and im 29 years old..i dont know if i shoild get expander palate without surgery or not..i just want to try it, cuz i see some topics disccusion that can wirk on adults or can not work..im not sure what to do..

[quote="Albasitaaa"]Hello everyone im new here i have a very narrow palate also and im 29 years old..i dont know if i shoild get expander palate without surgery or not..i just want to try it, cuz i see some topics disccusion that can wirk on adults or can not work..im not sure what to do..[/quote]

I have done a lot of research on this. Even read all the papers backing up the DNA appliance. They have no solid evidence that it widens the palate. They use misleading pictures with different lighting in each picture. The small changes that are achieved are through moving the teeth. Not necessarily tipping them though. If you have some extra gum on the outside of your jaw, the appliance can push it into that place. The price is outrageous. I would classify it as a scam.

If your upper jaw is more narrow than you lower jaw, you can do SARPE. I'm now investigating wilckodontics used together with a palate expander. It seems promising.

Thanks for posting about the DNA Appliance -- it's something I'd been looking into as a possible solution for sleep apnea caused by an overly narrow upper jaw due in part to tooth extractions, but the price is insane and I haven't found enough solid research to justify it.

Quirky wrote:Thanks for posting about the DNA Appliance -- it's something I'd been looking into as a possible solution for sleep apnea caused by an overly narrow upper jaw due in part to tooth extractions, but the price is insane and I haven't found enough solid research to justify it.

Have you looked into any teaching schools to reduce the cost of treatment?

Also I am a little saddened at the post on the first page of this thread that insinuated myologists were "woo".

There is a lot of quackery in the world for sure. But not everything has been around long enough to be main stream. Just like properly closing my bite without surgery with the use of TADs and myofunctional therapy.

I will ask my 2nd year resident and also the supervising teacher how they would expand an adult palate without surgery and see what they have to say.