Child Needing Orthodontic Expander

i had this same thing in my mouth when i was young. i was in the second grade, so 7 i think. i had the expander, then something called a lip bumper and then a frankel. the frankel i wore only at night. all of those lasted until 7th grade, then i had braces for six months. after braces, a retainer that was permanently glued to the backs of my teeth. i am almost 25, and still have the retainers on my teeth. i get compliments on my teeth all of the time. i think that the earlier you start, the easier the teeth go into the right place. my cousin did not have any of these things, and at 22 had to have jaw surgery to correct her bite, it was causing her a lot of jaw and mouth pain. i would get it all done asap.

Hi A., My advice is to take your daughter to more than one orthodontist for evaluation. Also, if it is possible, take her to a maxillo-facial specialist. If you live near a large teaching hospital, there is probably someone in that field there. Your local Ear, Nose, and Throat office could probably give you a name, or call the university or regional or university hospital help desk for a name. Three of my four children have had braces. One had an orthodontic expander. The one without braces, ironically, is the one who was evaluated by a max/facial specialist. After evaluation, he suggested that her TMJ (jaw) joints, were in delicate condition and we should watch and wait before orthodontic treatment for her minor overbite and crowding. As it happened, the whole situation improved itself, and when she was a teenager, she decided herself that she didn't want braces and she is happy with her oral appearance (she's 31 now.) My oldest son got braces at about age 10--the orthodontist request 6 permanent teeth be removed, which later turned out to be a mistake. My youngest son has been in braces since he was 9, and he is 16 now. I think they started tooooooo soon, and we were too eager to take their advice without a second opinion. So take care to get plenty of advice before you start out, and then go with your heart. They do some amazing, beneficial work! D.

My daughter was 7 when she had the expander put in, the orthodontist said that the bones would still be forming and it was the best time rather than waiting until she was older. She also went into a set of braces in elementary school. The expander is an appliance that in in the roof of the mouth that you will have to place a "key" in and turn it once or twice a day. Its uncomfortable, food gets stuck in it, and when you first turn it it doesn't feel good. This literally expands the mouth. My daughter's crossbite was horrible and I was thinking it was crazy to put her through this so young. However, she now is 19 has a beautiful set of teeth, has had the appliance and 2 sets of braces and she was finish with the braces before she started her freshman year. She appreciated it greatly in the end.

My daughter had an expander put in when she was six. She had a small amount of discomfort after having the extender put in, but that was more about having to keep her mouth open for the procedure which I don't recall taking more than about 5 min. than anything else. After 24 hours, she never complained again, even when they would adjust the expander. Almost 4 years later, her teeth look great, no braces in our future, and she still likes to go to the dentist.
After reading some of the other responses, I have to tell you, my daughter only had her expander adjusted every two weeks, and that was at the dentists office. There was a twist in the middle of the expander that the dentist would unwind a little every time. My daughter wore it for a year.

I am not sure what your ortho will say, I will tell you that my 9 year old has an overbite and a year ago I was told that she would need braces beginning this year. I questioned why so young and she replied that the growth of girls is faster than boys and when there is an overbite it is best to do it early-waiting would require surgery. Apparently girls' skulls "set" sooner than boys so doing some of the work before puberty is best. She called it a 2 step process. I know that in the 3rd grade there is one with an expander and 2 others with full braces. They are both girls and their parents said it was a 2 step process. If it is the same thing as one of these girls it is like a retainer on the inside of the teeth that pushes her teeth out some. The girl takes it off at lunch but seems to do well with it. Hope that helps-good luck.

I wore a removable expander when I was in third or fourth grade. Sometimes I would lie about whether or not I had expanded it, so it will be best to watch your daughter do this if it is removable. With a permanent one, you or the orthodontist will have to do it, so it shouldn't be a problem.

I have worked as an orthodontic technician for 11 years and I can tell you that expanders are extremely common. Lots of children get them and they are helpful in eliminating more serious procedures in the future such as extracting teeth or even jaw surgery. I don't think it is necessary to have multiple consultations with different doctors. If you're dentist and orthodontist think she needs it, then she probably does since lots of children do. It is an easy procedure to have one placed and she will only feel minor pressure each time the appliance is activated and usually only for the first couple days. Good luck and feel free to contact me if you have any other questions about it!

I had the expander placed at age 19. It was like shoots of lightning pain every time the key turned. My ortho stated that is was more painful for me because I was close to adult age and my bones are not as flexible as I would have been when I was younger. It was also very hard to talk with having that bar in my mouth for the next 6 months as I had the new bone fill in. (I sounded like Elmer Fudd) Also on a side note, my face actually changed shape. I was very almond shaped face and now my face is more round.

I would say that if you HAD to do this, do it a lot younger than I did it!

H.

All orthodontists like to have an evaluation done by at least 7 years old. Expanders are wonderful appliances that have almost eliminated the need for extracting teeth to "make room" and painful jaw surgery. They are most often done about age 8 (depending on the severity of the problem) and have to be done before age 12, when the growth plates on the palates begin to harden.

It involves taking some dental impressions and fitting the appliance. (Both are painless) She will feel some pressure, but not pain, when they adjust it. It will significantly shorten, or even eliminate the need for, her time in braces!

Good Luck! (I am a dental hygienist practicing in West Knoxville!)

I'd advise getting an actual exam and evaluation done by TWO (or more) orthodontists (they're usually free, but ask before setting an appointment). I wouldn't go with the first one without getting at least a 'second opinion' then go with the one you feel most comfortable with. All of our kids needed braces, but we just couldn't afford them when they were small. We've done them backward (youngest to oldest) except for the very oldest one (she's almost 31 with 3 kids of her own. I think she has a 'cross-bite' and it's probably too late to 'fix' it without surgery). Our 28 yr old son just got his braces off a couple weeks ago, and they're much improved, but they could've done so much more if he'd had them as a growing child. I'd have to say that the most difference was made in our youngest daughter who had them from about ages 9 to 11 (the expander was the very first step necessary for her treatment, but the first orthodontist we'd visited didn't even mention it!). Some matters can be corrected even earlier while the baby teeth are still in place, though. Orthodontists can really work wonders, but, like chiropractors, they all have different tactics and techniques. Keep in mind that, in the long run, a functional bite is worth more than a perfect looking smile, but sometimes you get both!

Hi A., I am a dental assistant of many years and have had experience with expanders. Crossbites are common and many kids get expanders at this age. They are truly not uncomfortable to the child once they get used to some extra gear in their mouths. They simply fit some bands around her teeth and take an impression and send that off to a lab. The lab returns the expander. The bands will be connected on the roof of her mouth kinda of like a bridge. It is cememtned in in about 10-15 minutes. The cement tastes yucky but does not hurt at all. The doc. will teach you how to turn the expander using a small key. The key goes into a hole in the center of the expander and you simply put it in and push it back once or twice typically. She will feel nothing more than something similar to a firm hand shake as far a pressure goes and that passes quickly. I honestly can say I have never seen a child stress over it-they usually get a kick out of using the key. FYI-now is a good time as she is still growing. Once her jaw is as big as it get the only other option is surgery (depending on how large the crossbite) which I had and believe me it is a big ordeal for a child. I had it in my 30's and it was no fun to say the least.

Also, this will cut down on time/money in braces later.

Best of luck,
Val

I also had a posterior cross bite many moons ago! I was about 9 or 10 when I had it. My parents had to "turn a key" to expand it a couple of times a day, then I had to keep it in a few more months. I had a big gap but it quickly closed once I got braces on. I will say this, after 2 days or so, it was very painful to have that key turned. My mom would give me ibuprophen and wait 20-30 minutes to do it. Then after she did it, I got ice cream!! Ice cream has magical powers to kids with sore mouths (also worked when I got my adenoids removed!) Stick to soft foods for her since her mouth will be sore for a week or two.

My hubby is a dentist and was surprised that I still have all my teeth with all the orthodontic work I had done (most will pull teeth). He says it's best to keep all your permanent teeth so if they get bad when you age, you have some of your own left & aren't forced to get dentures too soon! 20+ years later, I get lots of compliments on how great my teeth look. It's well worth it. Blessing to your daughter :)

I had an expander put in when I was 6 I remember it not being to big a deal. I just hated that I couldnt chew gum anymore. I suggest seeing a couple orthodontists before getting it done though. Just to make sure she needs it.

A.,

I would definely get an orthodontist involved.
Have whould have more then one consultation. My son had one put in at age 3 and even though I do not think it was a mistake I am not convinced that it was necessary. I know that they are expensive and sometimes another approach can be taken.
Good Luck L. R.

My son has an expander now. He got it mid-year of 2nd grade. He is in third now. My sister, back in late 70's, had one that was attached to her teeth. They are now like a retainer. My son was instructed to eat with the expander. To me that was gross but he did amazingly well. We just had to send him to school with a toothbrush to clean it after lunch. His speech was affected a little but he grew accustom to that too. I do believe he got a little teasing at school. Initially the expander had to be expanded 2x a day then 1x and we are now only wearing it at night. We have been extremely pleased and didn't once question him having one. The dentist sent us to the orthodonist. The orthodonist watched my son's teeth a good year and a half before he decided he was ready.

A.,
The standard of care in dentistry is that you correct a crossbite as soon as it is diagnosed. The sooner the better. If they have noticed it at age 6 then her permanent (6yr) molars are likely involved. Crossbites are treated differently than many other less urgent orthodontic needs because they indicate a level of skeletal discrepancy that really needs to be addressed early in jaw development. The conflicting opinions you are getting may be from people who don't have enough information about the specific issue you are addressing. (I have 10+ ys in dentistry and I also have a young child, so this is advice I would give any mother and it is also what I would use to decide how to treat my own daughter). Good luck!

It's been 24 years but I had to have an expander due to the same problem. Basically (back then at least) it's a metal piece that is adhered to the teeth and it has little rotating things that cause it to expand. Every few days you take a little key, insert it into the hole in the rotating piece and move it a bit making it tighter and eventually expanding the top/bottom of the mouth. I was 9 or 10 when my first one was put in. I think I went through 2 or 3 of them of various sizes before eventually moving on to braces and then retainers. I still wear a retainer at night for my bottom teeth because they insist on moving and i've had to go through another set of braces as an adult because of this. Good luck. Go see several orthodontists, consultations are usually free and you want several opinions and you also want to make sure you like the orthodontist because you are looking at a long term commitment (like marriage, lol). I've had the same orthodontist for 20 years and now my kids go to him too! I would highly recommend him, but since I don't even know where McEwen is, it's probably not close by. ;)

Dear A.,

Both our dentist and orthodontist recommended that our daughter get her expander before puberty as the bones are not yet fused at that point and would be much easier to move. That was the best advice we ever got and I'm so glad we did it when we did! It seemed crazy to me to start orthodontics that early, but it took so much less time and was not painful at all. I remember going through braces at 15/16 and it taking years and years and being excrutiating. My daughter experienced none of this pain and each "phase" of the expander and braces took just a few months.

My daughter had been a thumb sucker and this made the roof of her mouth "tent up". As a result, her face looked pinched. The expander changed the entire shape of her face. She was very pretty before, but is absolutely beautiful now at 12 (says her totally unbiased mom). And, a side benefit of the expander is that it cured the thumb sucking. My sister (now in her 40's) who hates the shape of her own face, was told my her daughter's orthodontist that if he was treating her now, she'd get an expander and look like a different person!

My daughter went through puberty early and had her period by age 11. I'm really glad we didn't wait, as I wouldn't have imagined that she'd mature that early. However, now when we are busy with all kinds of teenaged activity the braces days are behind us. She was much more cooperative with those things when she was younger!

So, again, trust the professionals, definitely do it before puberty, and follow the directions closely. You'll be glad you did!