Adult expander (23yr) How many turns?

[Grapefruit47]

I've been wearing a hyrax expander for 3 months now. The expander was recommended as an alternative to 4 bicuspid extractions. I didn't want to do the expander bc I knew I would have to wear it for 6 months and I wanted to get my braces on as quickly as possible. I also am skeptical that the expander will make enough space for all my teeth. I was swayed into getting the expander because that orthodontist was charging me a thousand less than the other. And I'd also save even more by not having to pay for extractions.

When I was first fitted with my expander the orthodontist turned it twice and instructed me to wait a week then turn it once a day, for 8 days. At my appt. the next month I got the same instructions: 8 more turns, once a day. At the latest visit, he told me the expansion was complete after only turning it 18 times over 2 months. He bonded it so I couldn't turn it again.

I'm worried Im not gonna get enough room in my mouth to fix all the crowding in my teeth after only 18 turns. I feel like I should have done the extractions instead :/ I would be in braces by now. From the threads I've read and YouTube videos, most people turned their expander way more often.

If you've had an expander, or currently have one how many times are you turning it?

[Midnightthirty]

My ortho has me doing 1 turn every 5 days... so it is definitely taking me a lot longer to reach as many turns as you did quickly. I will also still be turning for a few more months though, so I am not sure yet what my final number will be.

[Josh1794]

Im 22 and getting an expander in a few days. This makes me nervous!