He’s not complaining about much. Expanders To Fix Tooth Crowding • Somerville. As for his speech, they say that it comes back in time, but to be honest he had and has continued to have a really hard time pronouncing some words (mostly those with a long “e”) and… well, it did get better but not perfect. Hang in there, and let me know if you have any questions! The more severe the alignment issues, the more expensive treatment can be. The down side is you have to stay away from sticky foods. It takes time to get used to a metal gear in your mouth, and D was none too happy at first, but after the initial couple of days things were starting to look up. Most orthodontists will leave a palate expander in for at least 6 months. He has a cross bite, but it’s not a big deal. Known as Phase I orthodontic treatment, this usually begins between ages 7 and 9 and normally takes about a year. I’m glad to know that it will subside. Was it just the initial month of cranking or did that continue throughout the treatment? He couldn’t eat and ended up having a bowl of rice bubbles and raspberries for dinner. So I am getting my palate expander in TOMORROW!!! This helped settle my nerves a lot. I paid about 800-900 dollars. He is a meat and potato kid, with a serious love for pastas and breads. I’m 11 and I just got braces AND an expander. I would highly recommend getting one before the expander is placed so tongue sores are never an issue. Stay with soft goods as you mentioned, and I promise it will get better in a day or two. I made mac n cheese and a big ole noodle got stuck. But your post really did still help me a lot. Avoid long noodles. Fundamentally, early orthodontic treatment works because at this early age, the two halves of the upper jaw are still separated. I know he’s going to have a hard road getting used to all that metal in his mouth! Implant-Supported Expansion. my 7 year old had to drink milkshakes the first 5 days. Learn more about palatal expansion and what devices and surgical options are currently available. It was truly heartbreaking. You have a great question that deserves a straight answer. I get my expander in exactly 54 days (I know I’m kinda weird…counting down), I have to wait so long because of summer camps and the week for spacers, and then the two weeks where the impressions with the molar bands are sent to the lab to create the appliance. She has been complaining about not being able to talk and swallow food and I feel horrible for having her go through this. He thinks the first 7 days was the worst, but then it was not to bad. He doesn’t like soft food much at all. Carrie, I found that worst offenders for getting stuck was (ironically) spaghett o’s and straight cut spaghetti. haha! We strive to maintain a gold standard in the quality of orthodontic treatment that we offer, and we're proud to provide a wide range of orthodontic services ranging from traditional metal braces to Invisalign. My then 9 yr old son had an expander with a thumb guard put in on Aug. 29, 2013. I’m glad it will get easier. We just got back from the ortho and 13 yr old son got expander and braces at the same time. Mine did not anything but milkshakes from cookout for 5 days. © YYYY Colgate-Palmolive Company. Phew! Using the palate expander is the first step in making room for the rouge teeth that can’t squeeze into place. After the first night of wearing it, his pain was gone! He broke two permanent teeth (Argh!! I promise it will get better, my daughter got hers just under 2 weeks ago and each day it got better. Please take a moment to view Before and After case studies of Mint Orthodontics LLC patients who received expanders and braces to correct their spacing and bite. I’m taking a few steps back with food and going to stick with softer foods for a while. We just went last night and found out my son needs the expander. My 9 year old son got his expander in yesterday and it’s been a piece of cake! As of now she eats almost everything she did before and really has no pain. Swallowing is difficult, he makes a slurping sound I’m hoping he figures out how to swallow soon and speech is definitely effected, also hoping that gets better. What is a palate expander? We’ve been instructed to turn it twice a week, not every day. Chloe came to us with crowding, a high canine, posterior crossbite, and CL III malocclusion (lower jaw ahead of upper jaw). Our adventure will start in 2 weeks. so he just had a milkshake. It was in the early 90’s when I should have gotten one myself, I needed it. He had a few appointments leading up to the placement of the appliance, mostly for x-rays, impressions, spacers, and preparing his teeth for the device. Good news, the metal taste goes away. Removable expanders are similar to a retainer, except they put pressure on the molars from the roof of your mouth. Thank you for this! It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. He’s not uncomfortable or in any pain, and he thinks he’s a superhero and named himself, “Metal Man”. So thank you! The rapid palatal expander (RPE) is attached to the upper molars. Totes lame! Also which way do you turn the key? My 9 year old daughter got an expander put on 2 days ago. She has to have hers for 18 months, though. I think most people with expanders deal with sore tongues. Yesterday taco meat got stuck between the expander and the roof of his mouth and that was uncomfortable and frustrating. It doesn’t hurt when they turn it and I can feel some pain a while afterwards but I’ve dealt with worse pain for years. Before insurance, how much was it to get the expander removed? Let us know about some types of jaw expanders. Thank you for this post. She has compacted teeth due to lack of space as her upper jaw is smaller than the bottom one and a cross-bite to deal with. This means we can use orthodontic appliances like palatal expanders to gradually, painlessly widen the jaw, creating more space in the smile and preventing the need for more invasive treatments like oral surgery. He just got it off and you can totally tell how much better hismouth is. Thank you for posting, my son gets his today (7 years old). Let us know about some types of jaw expanders. Ok so this is 4 years later… but I got my palate expander and braces two days ago and the braces aren’t much trouble but the expander is making it so hard to talk, plus the fact that I’m going into eight grade in less than two weeks is kind of scary. It curves with the palate, pushing the teeth outward to expand it. How long did he have to have the expander on? Thank you so much. What an incredible change and gorgeous smile! Speak with your dentist or orthodontist if you're interested in learning about palatal expansion options or other orthodontic care. Andone know if they offer smaller ones. For 30 days. Every patient listed below is an actual patient of Dr. Jared Corbridge at Corbridge Orthodontics. It’s really lucky that more kids have palate extenders available to them nowadays. This bone replacement takes about a full year to complete. Ultimately, the end goal for every patient is a healthy, beautiful smile, but the methods and techniques used to get there vary greatly from patient to patient. The orthodontist may choose an orthodontic expander depending on the problem to be treated and the shape of the jaw. Surgery is typically necessary for adults who did not get their crossbite or other alignment issues corrected during childhood. The perfect storm that leads to braces. Oh my gosh! plus mouth sore rinse. This is because immediately after expansion the body begins to fill in the missing bone at the suture. Thank you! Thank you again, Pingback: Tips on using an Expander for your Child’s Braces « Metal Mouth Media. First Visit | Financial & Insurance | Before & After Photos | Office Tour | Testimonials | Patient Login. I KNOW! Colgate Reaches Children in Need Across the Globe With the Power of a Bright Smile. Your orthodontist will leave a palatal expander in even after the expansion of the palate is complete. Also, she says everything tastes like metal. Keep using the wax. Pingback: Dental Fun Update III: Braces on/Braces off | BagMomma. Palatal expanders before the age of 7 are often done with a removable expander that also doubles as a retainer. Dentists or physicians may recommend this treatment when their patient is still young. I had an expander back in the 1990s and it wasn’t the best time of my life, that’s for sure. He is afraid to go to school tomorrow as he thinks no one will understand him. Seems everyone else says 6. Its been hell and turning the key twice a day traumatic. Eventually you won’t need it. There are different palatal expansion options, including removable expanders for small adjustments, temporary expanders similar to having braces, and maxillary expansion surgery for more severe cases. You are right, there is no ‘real life’ info. I was grateful for the warning. My daughter had an expander and braces fitted two days ago. Thankyou! I wouldn’t care except I have school pictures during the 3rd week. And save the questionable foods for home. Take a look at our early orthodontic before & after photos to see just what's possible with early orthodontic treatment! Let’s hope the next six months fly by incident free so this annoyance can be done with. I will go get a waterpik today and look for rinse and meds for mouth sores. My son is doing it constantly. If you're an adult and are interested in correcting a crossbite or overcrowding, consult with an orthodontist because there are other dental options for adults.