Expander For Your Mouth

[Oliver Parkes]

Apalate expander is a vital tool in orthodontic treatment, helping achieve proper dental alignment and a beautiful smile. While an expander certainly has benefits, adapting to eating with a palate expander requires a bit of patience and adjustment. This guide will walk you through the process of eating comfortably with an expander, outlining suitable food choices and cautioning against items that could both increase treatment time and cause the expander to loosen or break.

Starting with Soft Foods: During the initial days after getting your palate expander, consider sticking with a variety of soft foods. Mashed potatoes, yogurt, scrambled eggs, and smoothies are excellent options that provide both comfort and nourishment. These choices help you ease into eating with the expander, minimizing discomfort as your mouth gets accustomed to the device.

One of the silver linings of eating with a palate expander is the opportunity to explore new and delectable food options that align with your treatment journey. Here are some palate-expander-friendly choices that tantalize your taste buds while ensuring your comfort:

Soft Vegetables: Cooked carrots, peas, and spinach are not only nutrient-rich but also easy on the palate. Their soft texture allows you to enjoy a variety of vitamins and minerals without straining your jaw.

Gentle Grains: Embrace the goodness of grains like rice, couscous, and quinoa. These options are not only versatile in culinary applications but also contribute to a well-rounded diet.

Dairy Delights: Dairy products like yogurt, pudding, and cottage cheese offer a double benefit. They provide essential calcium for your dental health while delivering a creamy and satisfying indulgence.

Pasta Pleasures: Dive into the world of pasta with dishes like fettuccine alfredo or macaroni and cheese. These dishes combine comfort and flavor, making mealtime a delightful experience.

Tender Meats: While protein is crucial for your overall well-being, opting for lean and tender meats can make a significant difference. Choose chicken or turkey over tougher meats like steak to ensure a more comfortable chewing process.

Sticky Situations: Sticky candies, chewing gum, and taffy are treats best enjoyed sparingly or avoided altogether. These items have a tendency to adhere to the expander and could pose challenges in cleaning.

Chew with Care: Foods that require extensive chewing, such as tough meats or overly crunchy snacks, can place unnecessary strain on your palate. Be mindful of how you approach these items, and consider slicing them into smaller portions for easier consumption.

Acidic Awareness: While acidic foods like citrus fruits and juices can be a refreshing choice, they might irritate sensitive areas of your mouth. Moderation is key; enjoy these treats in small quantities and ensure you rinse your mouth afterward.

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The roof of the mouth is called a palate. The palatal expander (PAL uh tuhl ex PAN der) is a dental appliance used to widen the roof of the mouth (Picture 1). It expands the palate to make room for crowded teeth.

This palatal expander chart is a guide or calendar to keep track of how many turns you have made in the expander. Starting on the day the appliance is put on, turn the expander twice a day as instructed. Each time you make the turns, mark it on the chart. For example, the following chart shows you how your calendar will look as you record the turns. (In this example, there were 2 turns on Monday, 2 on Tuesday, 1 on Wednesday, 3 on Thursday and so on.) Please bring the completed chart with you to your next appointment.

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These devices are most commonly used in pre-adolescent children, but can also be used in teens and adults. If your child has a crossbite or narrow upper jaw, a dentist may recommend using a palate expander to correct it.

Palate expanders are also used to correct crossbites. A crossbite is a type of dental malocclusion that causes the upper teeth to sit inside the lower teeth. If left untreated, crossbites can cause complications such as:

Palate expanders have two halves that are attached to the top back molars on both sides of the jaw. The halves are typically connected together by a screw, which sits high up in the middle of the mouth.

Palate expanders are custom made. The orthodontist will take an impression of the upper jaw and teeth. This impression will be sent to a laboratory, where they will make an expander that fits perfectly to the mouth.

There are several types of palate expanders. Some are removable, and others are designed to remain fixed in the mouth for several months. You and your orthodontist can decide which type is best for you, based on the type of correction required.

Removable palate expanders are meant to be worn 24 hours a day, except while eating, playing sports, and brushing teeth. They may only need the screw turned two or three times a week instead of daily or twice daily.

When you adjust your expander, you may feel a slight sensation of pressure along the roof of your mouth or a tingling feeling in your teeth. This sensation may extend upward to your nose or eyes. It typically lasts around 5 minutes before dissipating completely.

Using a palate expander often causes a space to form between the two top front teeth. This is normal and an expected side effect of jaw widening. This gap often closes on its own over time. In some instances, wearing braces may be advised.

In children, palate expanders may widen the jaw to the desired size within about 2 to 3 months. The device is left in for an additional 4 to 6 months, while the two sides of the jawbone fuse together and the teeth settle into their correct position.

In older individuals with fully developed jaws, this process may take a year or even longer. It may also not be possible to widen the jaw at all with a standard type of device. In some instances, your orthodontist may recommend a surgically inserted palate expander instead.

An expander has many benefits. It can widen the upper arch so that the upper teeth fit better with the lower teeth, creating a better bite. Also widening the palate can make room for crowded teeth to align, which can often prevent the need for extraction of permanent teeth. A high palate and narrow arch may restrict breathing passages. Studies have shown that expanders can widen air passages and result in better breathing. Lastly, expanders contribute to a broader, more attractive smile. Expansion is easiest and results are most stable when performed on a growing child or teen.

Activation of an expander is usually done by a parent, guardian, or someone other than the patient. On the day the expander is placed, we give you a key that inserts into an opening in the activation portion of the RPE.

The expansion of the palate is usually completed in 1-3 weeks. However, the appliance remains in the mouth for a longer period, generally 5-6 months to allow the new bone that has formed to mature. If an RPE is removed too early, some of the width gained could be lost. During expansion, a space may develop between the two front teeth. This is normal and when you stop turning the RPE, the teeth will start to come together again on their own.

The two most common problems that can arise when having an RPE is that food can become trapped between the expander and the roof of the mouth or difficulty making the activation turn. When the expander is placed, we show you how to clean around it. However, if food does get stuck, you can swish or gargle with water, or take a cotton swab and gently wipe the palate of the mouth.

The other problem that can arise is not making a complete turn. Sometimes, you think you made the complete turn and then remove the key. It appears as if the turn was completed successfully, but when you go to make another turn the key will not go into the new hole. You will then have to return to the previous hole which is located towards the back of the mouth, insert key and complete the turn. See video below.

There are certain foods that cannot be eaten while the expander is in place. These will include chewy, sticky sugary foods such as caramels, taffy, gummy bears, fruit roll-ups, Swedish fish, Starburst, Skittles, etc. Sugarless gum is also ok to chew while the expander is in place.

Palate expanders are appliances that I recommend often for patients in my private practice. In my humble opinion, it is the most important orthodontic appliance that we use.

But this treatment recommendation can come as a surprise to many families. Because of this, palate expander treatment recommendations affect parents in many ways. Parents have feelings of anxiety from not understanding what a palate expander is used for, how much discomfort it will cause their child and how much it will cost.

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