Palatal Expansion Appliance at Our Katy, TX Office
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends a child’s first orthodontic visit by age 7. Early diagnosis and treatment allows us to take full advantage of the child’s natural growth process to prevent and treat overbites, underbites and crowding with the help of appliances such as palatal expanders. A palatal expander is a custom-made device that creates more space in the child’s mouth by gradually widening the upper jaw.
Your child may need a upper and lower jaw expander if he or she has:
- Crossbite. When the upper jaw is too narrow to fit correctly with the lower jaw, the back top teeth will bite inside of the lower teeth instead of outside. This can be corrected by expanding the upper jaw.
- Crowding. When there is not enough room to accommodate erupting adult teeth, widening the upper jaw can create the necessary space without the need for tooth extractions.
- Impacted Teeth. When an erupting tooth is blocked by other teeth, widening the upper jaw can allow the tooth to erupt into proper position on its own.
Expanding the upper jaw can also improve breathing, reduce snoring and refine the appearance of the child’s smile.
Expanders are usually worn for 3-6 months. Dr. Dhutia will make periodic adjustments to the expander to ensure it creates enough room for the erupting adult teeth. The rate and amount of expansion will be customized for each patient.
Dr Dhutia has over 20 years of experience performing successful palatal expansion treatments. Call us at (281) 395-8488 for a free consultation to determine if your child can benefit from a palatal expander.