I have one as an adult, and honestly I felt relief wearing it when I first got it! My maxilla is recessed though so I think my body needed the pressure on the palate to feel relief throughout my head and neck. This is related I think to what mrsGreeko was saying. I do get some soreness sometimes when I turn the screws, but since I’m an adult it’s more about teeth movement than palate expansion. As I understand it, it isn’t painful for kids but can be annoying. Eating at first was quite the experience! But now it’s fine, and I do remove mine most of the time when I eat but my orthodontist said that’s ok. I got mine in October and will be done in august. At first it was comfortable but now I’m over it! But I’m almost done!
Probably soft foods the first few days will help. Pudding, mashed potatoes, oatmeal. Not noodles, those go right into the crevices if the expander and it’s weird! I have a high tolerance for discomfort and even that irritated the crap out of me so I don’t fault a kid for complaining at first! Eventually you figure out how to eat but at first, definitely softer foods or smoothies!
It really doesn’t feel like a torture device so don’t worry! It is annoying at times but the long term benefits are starting to show so it’s very motivating. My kid will get one soon and her priority is that her adult teeth overlap her baby teeth so she can’t wiggle her baby teeth. Everyone has different motivations! Like mrsGreeko touched on, the airway benefits have potential to be big, they are for me! (I had a tongue tie that I didn’t know about which prevented me from ever resting my tongue on the roof of my mouth, that’s a whole different story and also very specific to the individual, but that is a potential part of why I have breathing issues, as a contributor but not a cause possibly/probably for palate reasons and for sleep apnea-type reasons.) But unfortunately this isn’t well researched but those of us with success do agree there is a lack of research and do wish there was more research into the airway part of it. But for more traditional orthodontic reasons especially in a child, the results could be great for their teeth and smile!
We paid (V/HCOL) about $1800 for the expander, all visits, the first round of braces and I think a retainer for in-between Round 1 and Round 2 (braces). That amount included a 5% discount b/c I paid cash.
Post by hbomdiggity on Jun 22, 2022 12:55:06 GMT -5
Update after 2nd consult:
Orthodontist believes early intervention is likely but wants to wait another 6 months. His diagnostic seemed thoughtful, but he seems more of an Invisalign expert (practice is 90% Invisalign). He didn’t want to get into potential treatments, which I get if the whole point is to see what happens in a few months, but DS is just not responsible enough for Invisalign at this age so prob just not the best fit.
ughhhhhh at age 6/7?? i was hoping we had years before we had to think about this (DS1 is 6.5). based on his first/only two adult teeth so far, we are looking at braces in the future. but the dentist hasn't mentioned anything yet
Orthodontist believes early intervention is likely but wants to wait another 6 months. His diagnostic seemed thoughtful, but he seems more of an Invisalign expert (practice is 90% Invisalign). He didn’t want to get into potential treatments, which I get if the whole point is to see what happens in a few months, but DS is just not responsible enough for Invisalign at this age so prob just not the best fit.
90% Invisalign? Did they advertise this? I know there are offices out there like this but personally, as an orthodontist, I really like treating patients with braces!
Orthodontist believes early intervention is likely but wants to wait another 6 months. His diagnostic seemed thoughtful, but he seems more of an Invisalign expert (practice is 90% Invisalign). He didn’t want to get into potential treatments, which I get if the whole point is to see what happens in a few months, but DS is just not responsible enough for Invisalign at this age so prob just not the best fit.
90% Invisalign? Did they advertise this? I know there are offices out there like this but personally, as an orthodontist, I really like treating patients with braces!
The manager just said matter of factly that they do 90% Invisalign though happy to do whatever we are comfortable with, and that they offer Invisalign at the same price as braces.
Orthodontist believes early intervention is likely but wants to wait another 6 months. His diagnostic seemed thoughtful, but he seems more of an Invisalign expert (practice is 90% Invisalign). He didn’t want to get into potential treatments, which I get if the whole point is to see what happens in a few months, but DS is just not responsible enough for Invisalign at this age so prob just not the best fit.
Forget about Invisalign vs braces. If one orthodontist is recommending treatment with a price tag of $4300 and another is recommending to wait for 6 months, I am absolutely waiting a few months and then getting another opinion. Especially for a 7 year old.
Orthodontist believes early intervention is likely but wants to wait another 6 months. His diagnostic seemed thoughtful, but he seems more of an Invisalign expert (practice is 90% Invisalign). He didn’t want to get into potential treatments, which I get if the whole point is to see what happens in a few months, but DS is just not responsible enough for Invisalign at this age so prob just not the best fit.
Forget about Invisalign vs braces. If one orthodontist is recommending treatment with a price tag of $4300 and another is recommending to wait for 6 months, I am absolutely waiting a few months and then getting another opinion. Especially for a 7 year old.
I had the same thought and I def tend to be more of a wait and see with medical issues. His answer to any downside of not waiting was “time and money.” I appreciate that, I really do, but i think we are are just delaying the inevitable - he explained the X-rays show issues of both top and bottom of teeth trying to come in with no room.
Wow, I’m surprised to hear so many people say that it doesn’t hurt for kids. I had a palate expander when I was 10 or 11, and it was extremely painful. I had to take lots of Motrin, suck on ice cubes, and eat soft food.
I’m glad I did it, don’t get me wrong. But it definitely hurt.
Wow, I’m surprised to hear so many people say that it doesn’t hurt for kids. I had a palate expander when I was 10 or 11, and it was extremely painful. I had to take lots of Motrin, suck on ice cubes, and eat soft food.
I’m glad I did it, don’t get me wrong. But it definitely hurt.
I think people have different pain tolerance levels. The palate expander didn’t bother my DS, but he also had two cavities filled with no Novocain per his request a few months before the expander and wasn’t bothered by that either. He’s really afraid of shots, which is so weird considering his high pain tolerance.
And he never complained after having his tonsils and adenoids out a few months before the cavities and only had Advil and Tylenol. We had opioid pain meds on hand, but he never said it hurt so we didn’t use them.
Post by minniemouse on Jun 23, 2022 10:41:16 GMT -5
VillainV before dd had hers put on I spent some time reading about it. If my Google sources were accurate (and they may not be!), younger kids have softer palates so it doesn’t hurt as much. Starting around puberty the palate hardens and it can be more painful.
DD1 (11) started ortho treatment last July. She had the quad helix palate expander, which doesn't require a daily key turn; the springs expand on their own over time. She felt some discomfort the first 2-3 days, but after that it was just the annoyance of having it in there. They removed it after about 7 months.
I had the traditional style with a key as a teen and young adult and would've much preferred this non-key version.
This was what my DD had as well. We had to go in for a few adjustments but overall much easier than the key version. Hers also came out after 6-7 months so it worked really quickly.
It was definitely uncomfortable the first few days. I had to cut up her food in very tiny pieces at first and she did have some food restrictions. She had a slight lisp the whole time she wore it but it went away after the expander was removed. It definitely created a lot of room and fixed her cross bite though so I am glad we did it. She is 11 now and will be moving on to braces probably next summer (they are recommending in 6 months but I want to wait until summer for scheduling ease).
VillainV before dd had hers put on I spent some time reading about it. If my Google sources were accurate (and they may not be!), younger kids have softer palates so it doesn’t hurt as much. Starting around puberty the palate hardens and it can be more painful.
This is absolutely true. It's what our dentist said as well. For expanders the earlier the better.