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Palate Expanders for Children

Palatal expansion creates room in your child's mouth to allow their adult teeth to grow in correctly. This early treatment can reduce the need for more complex orthodontic treatment later in life.

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Making Space for New Teeth

Palatal expansion treatment uses an orthodontic device to widen a narrow upper jaw, allowing erupting permanent teeth to grow in the correct positions in the mouth.

When children are young, the upper jaw consists of two sides connected by a soft spot in between them. This soft spot runs right down the middle of the upper jaw, allowing it to widen as the mouth grows and develops.

Embarking on the palatal expansion process while a child's mouth is still growing helps circumvent or minimize the development of jaw and teeth misalignments caused by overcrowding. In turn, this can shorten treatment duration with braces or clear aligners in later years.

In some cases, it can have the added benefit of helping the child to eat, breathe, and speak more easily.

How Palatal Expanders Work

Palatal Expansion for Children

The Importance of Early Orthodontics for Children

Kids with developing orthodontic issues often benefit from orthodontic intervention while young to help minimize the need for more invasive treatment in later years. Palatal expansion may be part of your child's early orthodontic treatment at Paleczny Orthodontics.

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How Palatal Expansion Works

How Palatal Expanders Work

Palatal bones remain pliable until children reach puberty, making the years between five and 11 the ideal time to diagnose and treat a narrow palate.

Palatal expanders are custom-made, metal appliances that gently widen the bones that form the palate, gradually creating more space in your child's mouth as the jaw develops and adult teeth emerge. 

Palatal expanders are usually fixed in place. Parents simply turn the expander at prescribed intervals with a small key to gently expand the palate by a ¼ mm with each turn, helping to increase the width of the upper jaw to accommodate growth.