Orthodontist refusing to use any orthodontic appliances!

[MonaLisa]

My orthodontist says that since I'm an adult, he will not use any appliances such as palatal expander, Forsus, twin blocks, biteplate, or anything like that, since an adult's jaw is fused and will not respond to any of these. Is this true, or is be being a bit too conservative?

[oldfart]

Always visit more than one. Maybe you don't need any of those items.

[sirwired]

It's very controversial as to the amount of stable non-surgical expansion that can be achieved in adults. Some adults appear to respond okay, in others the teeth "tip", in yet others the initial expansion "works", but collapses in retention.

[MonaLisa]

Sirwired, do you think slow palatal expansion would yield better results with regards to retention?

[MonaLisa]

OF, I have visited 3.

[sirwired]

Despite my 1,859 (and counting!) posts, I'm probably the wrong person to ask. (Totally not a dental professional!)

If this is the ortho you selected out of the three you visited, I'm assuming you trust him. I'd go along with what your ortho is telling you.

Why do you think you require expansion? If you had a REALLY narrow palate that he couldn't work around, I'm assuming he would have suggested surgery. (Either SARPE and/or LeFort I)

[MonaLisa]

Oh yes, SARPE was suggested but I refused. I do have quite a narrow palate.

[MonaLisa]

I also have a 12mm overjet. I wanted palate expansion because I thought it would help, since my ortho said he wouldn't be able to completely correct my overjet.

[sirwired]

You might want to re-consider the SARPE. "Surgery" sounds scary, but it's not nearly as radical as a LeFort or BSSO surgery. All the work is done on your palate, and it works around that whole "fused palatal suture" thing, removing a lot of the uncertainty of adult palatal expansion.

[MonaLisa]

I'm not really afraid of it, but it's costly and not completely risk-free. I don't know, just don't want to go down the surgical path!

[Josh1794]

Im reading alot on here that orthos wont use expanders on adults, im 22 and about to get one?

[bbsadmin]

At age 22, your palate might not be totally fused, so it might be worth a try. Any older than around that age, and it won't work.