Teeth Expanders

[Frostytiger87]

Hi my dd is year 11 & has to have a lot of dental work as her mouth is too small to accommodate adult teeth so it’s been recommended that she has an expander fitted . We’ve got a couple of appointments coming up to prepare for the expander she has been goggling that they are very uncomfortable & is worried that it’ll effect her exams .

Has anyone got any advice please ?

My DD wore a palate expander for a year and other than the first few days after she got it, it wasn't painful or uncomfortable. The difference it made to her teeth was significant, and rapid.

Hi SE13mummy that’s really reassuring to hear , she find the spacers uncomfortable?

It was uncomfortable for the first couple of days but not beyond that. She had to turn a screw in the middle of the expander every week or two and she did notice it felt a bit tighter immediately afterwards but not painful or uncomfortable. There are different types of expander but for my DD, the alternative would have been to have teeth removed. Thanks to the expander, there's space for all her adult teeth and a couple of teeth that had been very twisted, have moved into position without drama or further intervention.

Thankyou , I’m praying that it just that with my dd what with it being an important year at school
Does the expander widen the actual palate of the mouth or just the teeth
Sorry for so many questions, it’s just that we had the consultation months ago & I can’t recall what the orthodontist said

I didn’t wear mine and ended up having to have teeth removed and my teeth straightened as an adult which changed my jaw line and face. I really wish I had stuck with the treatment.

It has to be done but is it correct that that the spacers which are fitted are painful !

My DD didn't have spacers but in any case, those are only temporary aren't they? It's really easy to find lots of comments online about the negative aspects of most treatments, not least because that's what will come up in response to the search 'will X hurt?' but it may be useful to balance some of those reviews by looking at dental websites such as this.

Thankyou all & SE13mummy , your link has been very helpful . My dd has an appointment next Tuesday & tbh I am nervous for her as I mentioned this is a crucial year with GCSE exams & she isn’t very good with pain . The treatment needs to be done but she doesn’t want any distractions with her exams . I keep thinking whether we should postpone the treatment until after the exams but on the other hand the sooner she starts it the better

If it's going to be fitted in the next few weeks, I'd go ahead. There's never going to be an ideal time for discomfort but unless the orthodontist is proposing fitting the expander actually during one of the summer GCSE exams, it is unlikely to be massively disruptive. Lots of Y11s have things done to their teeth during their GCSE year whether it's having brace wires tightened, teeth out or other treatment that's needed before they stop growing.

Thankyou so much for the reassurance she doesn’t know it but I’m really nervous for her 🙈