Palate Expander Treatment Timeline: Here’s What to Expect

Blog Summary:

Palate expanders are used to address common dental issues like crossbites and crowding by gradually widening the upper jaw. But how long will you or your little one have to wear one?

Treatment timelines vary depending on factors such as age, severity of the condition, and patient compliance, but most patients wear an expander for 6-12 months—sometimes less for younger children and more for adults.

In this blog, we’ll break down:

• What a palate expander is and why it’s used
• The typical treatment process and timeline
• The different types of palate expanders available
• How to determine the right treatment for you or your child

At The Super Dentists, we specialize in providing families and pediatric patients with rapid palatal expanders for effective and comfortable treatment. Want to know exactly how long treatment might take you? Book an appointment today to get personalized insights!

Did you know that the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends orthodontic evaluations at the age of seven? It’s true! By that age, most kids have enough adult teeth for orthodontists to diagnose and treat both jaw and alignment issues, which palate expanders are often used to treat.

Given the chance, most teens & young adults would probably prefer their orthodontic treatment to be over and done with by the time they’re in middle school or high school. But there’s another more important reason to start early; early orthodontic treatment can prevent more expensive and invasive treatment later in life.

Palate expanders should be used during youth while the patient is still growing to help reduce the need for tooth removal, prevent impacted teeth, and potentially even eliminate the need for surgery in adulthood.

But just how long will a palate expander be on your kid, and what does the process of using one to correct issues look like? Let’s dive deeper.

What is a Palate Expander & Why is It Used?

Before we talk about how long palate expanders take to work, let’s discuss what they are and why they’re important.

Palate expanders, which the American Association of Orthodontics usually refer to as “palatal expanders”, and some refer to as simply “expanders”, are orthodontic appliances used to address oral malocclusions. That’s a fancy way of saying that palate expanders help fix teeth & jaw issues including:

• Crossbite: A horizontal misalignment issue that occurs when upper teeth are behind the corresponding lower teeth when the mouth is closed.
• Crowding: An alignment issue where a narrow jaw causes there to be inadequate space for teeth to align properly.

How Long Do Palate Expanders Stay In & What Is the Treatment Process Like?

Now, let’s cover treatment timelines. Remember when we talked about the importance of early intervention when it comes to treating orthodontic issues in kids? Let’s revisit that.

The truth is that there is no “typical” amount of time to wear a palate expander. While it’s true that a majority of patients wear palate expanders for 6-12 months, treatment times vary widely based on a number of factors, including:

• The Patient’s Age: Younger kids without fully formed dental bone structures often require a lot less time than older kids or adults. A child who’s 8 or 9 might only need to wear a palate expander for 1-2 months.
• The Patient’s Condition & Severity: The severity and type of malocclusion can impact treatment time considerably.
• The Patient’s Compliance: For patients who wear removable palate expanders, regularly wearing the device as prescribed keeps treatment time in check. For patients with standard palette expanders, there’s usually a need to adjust the expander periodically with a special key. Avoiding this can prolong treatment time.

While timelines can vary, the treatment process usually involves these steps:

1. Initial placement of the palate expander by the orthodontist.
2. Activation by the patient by turning a special key. (Usually, this phase lasts for somewhere between 14-28 turns).
3. Expansion of the teeth, usually over a few months, and sometimes years.
4. Maintenance, which often occurs over a period of months & allows the jawbone to set.
5. Removal, at which point a retainer is often provided for long-term maintenance.

What is the Difference Between an Expander & Palate Expander?

You might’ve heard the term “expander” used apart from the term “palate expander”, but “expander”, “palate expander”, and “palatal expander” all refer to the same appliance. In other words, there is no difference between an expander and palate expander or even a palatal expander.

What Types of Palate Expanders Exist?

According to the AAO, the three most common types of palate expanders available are:

1. Rapid palate expanders: These are made of metal bands that are affixed to molars and connected by a metal framework with a screw in the center that helps expand the device to gently widen the upper jaw over time.
2. Bonded palate expanders: These are similar to rapid palate expanders but they use an acrylic archment that’s affixed to the molars with dental cement or bonding material instead of metal bands.
3. Removable palate expanders: Removable expanders are often used for milder cases of malocclusion, and they can be taken out for eating, cleaning, or other activities.

At The Super Dentists, we use rapid palatal expanders.

See How Long Palate Expander Treatment Might Last You

Wondering how long you or your little ones might have to wear a palate expander? Book an appointment at one of The Super Dentists’ locations closest to you and find out! It might just be less time than you think.