Upper Palate Expander-I'm going on my 3rd one!

Message

#1 Post by **bethne3** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 6:38 pm

Hello All,
I have a question, I was wondering if anyone has ever had any problems with their upper expanders?
I have had a RPE in since November. The first one bent really badly and had to be taken out in December. I had a new one put on in late December and after about a week it was starting to really push against the left side of my mouth. So much so, that at my appointment today they had to take THAT one out too. They said that aside from the pushing, the expander had also expanded to it's maximum potential and that I would have to get a new one made for me.
I'm staying positive with everything, even though I have had numerous problems since being braced back in November. My ortho keeps telling me that because so much is going on on my uppers (crowding/overbite/crossbite) that these kinds of setbacks are normal. I'm starting to feel like the nightmare patient though! I have been in the ortho's office 19 times since November 21.

The thing is though is that I am paying almost $300 for each expander....with this being my 3rd one I'm having to pay for it's starting to affect my pocketbook.
I was wondering if anyone else has had to have multiple expanders put in?

I'm taking everything in stride. I know that sometimes there are bumps along the way. =)

Thanks in advance,
Bethany

#2 Post by **ssfw** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 7:47 pm

Hi Bethany,

Sorry you're having a difficult time with your expanders. My question is why do you have to pay for each of the additional expanders? Isn't this included in the price quote, especially in regards to the third expander because it expanded to its maximum and has to be replaced with a new one. Unless you were informed of these additional charges before you began ortho treatment, I would inquire about these additional charges. I do know oftentimes if an appliance broke/bent due to a patients' negligence, for example, eating hard/chewy things, etc. that creates a problem with the appliance, then the office may charge you for the replacement.

Good luck.

ssfw

#3 Post by **decisionmade** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 4:44 am

I agree with ssfw..I paid for everything upfront and it includes everything no matter how many times I go in or what is needed not including extractions or surgery which i deal with my o.s. on...hmm
i had one expander for sixth mos. but sounds like i had a different kind combined with expansion surgery..best wishes to you....Maybe this is a question for the docs..

#4 Post by **fins** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 5:01 am

I don't think you should be paying for the expander if it had to be replaced due to a poor fit or something that you had no control over. Some orthos will start to charge a fee for replacing brackets after you have broken several. Maybe your ortho will reimburse you on this. It's worth checking into.

Sorry about all the problems. I think that sometimes fixed appliances can be difficult to wear for long periods of time.