The palate is the upper jaw. It can be narrowed or underdeveloped in some individuals. It is beneficial to expand the palate for 2 reasons.
1. A small narrowed jaw has less space for a straight smile. Expansion creates more space in the jaw for aligning crooked teeth.
2. To improve nasal airway dimensions for better nasal breathing and airway health -- this could mean better growth for kids and sleep for all ages!
Palatal expansion helps with Crowding and Alignment
Dental crowding can be your first sign that there is insufficient space in your child's mouth. Traditionally, extractions are performed to create the space needed for straightening the teeth. But, what if we could GROW the space instead of extracting teeth to MAKE space? Now we can - with palate expansion!
How does it work?
The palate is naturally separated by a mid palatal suture. By slowly exerting a widening force, we can achieve a gentle separation of the suture, causing new bone to grow to fill in the gap.
This works well in growing children under 12 years old as the two halves of the palate have not fully fused. While it can be done in adults, expansion needs to be surgically assisted as the bone is more mature.
Palatal expansion helps with Nasal Breathing
The palate forms the floor of the nasal cavity. Narrow high arch palate --> smaller nasal passages. Imagine breathing all night while someone pinches your nose! That's breathing against a whole lot of nasal resistance
Expansion gently widens the upper jaw, simultaneously increasing the width and volume of the nasal passages. This crucial anatomical change reduces nasal airway resistance, allowing for significantly improved airflow. For children and adolescents who struggle with chronic mouth breathing, snoring, or sleep-disordered breathing, palatal expansion can facilitate a transition to a healthier pattern of nasal breathing, promoting better sleep and overall health.
In short, Palate Expansion is a type of proactive early orthodontic interention, aimed at guiding jaw growth to prevent more severe problems later on. Benefits are not limited to the smile. Expansion is also a non-surgical adjunctive option to children who present with symptoms of sleep disordered breathing (e.g snoring, mouth breathing, grinding), bringing your child one step closer to better sleep and breathing.
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