Can the orthodontist widen my jaw still if i am 20?

Yes: Even as an adult, if your upper jaw is too narrow relative to your lower, it is still possible to achieve expansion to broaden your smile, and to correct a crossbite if necessary. The only way this is possible, without jaw surgery, is to use passive self ligation braces (ex. Damon system). Go to www.Damonbraces.Com and use the "doctor locator" to find an orthodontists near you.

Not w/o surgery: If your talking about the upper jaw and palatal expansion, most likely not w/o surgery. The palatal suture calcifies from cartilege to bone by maturity (usually 18 years of age, if not sooner). The upper jaw (maxilla) can be surgically split, then it can be expanded (or widened) orthodontically.

Yes: Yes, especially the upper jaw. The lower jaw you can't hardly do unless is with surgery. The upper jaw will respond better to widening, and will tend to be more stable afterwards. There two way: surgical assisted and non-surgical expansion. It depends on how much widening is needed, which jaw, and the patient age.

Expander: If your jaw is narrow because the teeth slant in towards your tongue the answer is yes. If the underlying bony skeleton (upper jaw) it may need surgery to correct as your upper jaw suture is usually fused by age 20 and can not be expanded as younger patients can.

Typically, No: Once you are past your growth spurt, the sutures between your jaw bones are pretty well stuck together. Using an expanding appliance at age 20 would only tip your teeth out, as opposed to orthopedically widening your jaws. If you only need a small amount of expansion you can do this as an adult, otherwise you would need surgery to widen your jaw. Consult with your orthodontist for options.

Yes: Its more difficult but we have had some success with this.

Yes: The upper jaw can be widened due to the suture. The lower jaw cannot. If the suture has closed by age 20 a surgical procedure (corticotomy) can compensate. The lower jaw can only be widened with surgery (distraction osteogenesis) which is an invasive procedure. It is much simpler and safer to remove teeth if there is no room. There is way too much nonscientific nonsense about jaw widening.

With help: Once the upper jaw's sutures have fused expansion can only be safely accomplished with surgical assistance. The Orthodontic Specialist will work with an Oral Surgical Specialist to create ideal treatment. If expansion is attempted without the surgery, the roots of the teeth will be forced through the boney housing, a true periodontal disaster. See a specialist.