How much pain will a palate expander cause? the orthodontist has said that our daughter is going to need to use a palate expander before she gets braces. to me, this sounds like something that might be really painful. can we expect her to feel a lot of pa

Provided : Provided she is a young adolescent, expanders do not cause a great amount of discomfort. Every time you "turn", she will feel pressure for 10-20 seconds, and then it will go away. On day 3 or 4, the pressure may last a little bit longer, and i advise patients to take tylenol (acetaminophen) ~30 minutes prior to each turn. By day 5 and onward, things will be back to normal with 10-20 seconds of pressure/turn. Here is a link to our rpe instructions and what to expect: http://www.Coesmiles.Com/instruction-forms.

Your : Your daughter will mainly feel pressure, not pain. But if she really needs it, then focus your attention on doing it correctly. As your comments on pain can draw your daughter's attention to it. Just tell her it is absolutely necessary and she will be fine.

Most : Most patients feel no pain at all when it is activated one turn per day. On the rare occasion that a patient is uncomfortable, I have them turn it once every other day, and that seems to work. It used to be thought that the expansion should be completed in a week, that could be painfull! however, today most orthodontist are recommend spreading it over 3 or more weeks and that works just fine with little or no discomfort.

Generally : Generally speaking orthodontic appliances can be uncomfortable, even ache the first night the are worn, there after you feel pressure but not pain. There are different types of palatal expansion apparatus, some are fixed on braces, and some are removable. Either way when they are first inserted there is discomfort associated with wearing them. I recommend that patient take tylenol (acetaminophen) and advil for the first night. I hope this reassures you. Dr neil mcleod dds dentistry that lasts - quality that counts.

NO: Palate expansion in a growing patient creates much less pain than actual tooth movement due to braces. The expander loosens the sutural system of the naso-maxillary complex, that is the bones of the nasal and upper jaw bones that are not fully grown together. Each turn of the screw usually widens by 1/4 of a mm, not much. Pressure is felt for 5-15 minutes and after that viola! not much at all.

Virtually none: Orthodontists have been doing palatal expansion routinely for about 60 years. If your daughter's upper jaw is narrower than it should be in relation ton her lower jaw, expansion is indicated. The upper jaw is really 2 bones connected with soft tissue until puberty, when the sutures between the jaw bones begin to knit together. Expect your daughter to sail through this.

No real discomfort!: A palatial expander sounds worse than it is, but is a simple appliance that can greatly reduce the overall time a child is in orthodontic therapy and simplify the final course of treatment. A parent's role is to help their understand the importance of this treatment and help them follow through! in fact, often times a palatial expander negates the need to extract adult teeth in the overall plan.