Arch widening with removable palate expander 27 y.o
I’m 27 and female btw
Before the palate expansion / marpe police comes for me yeah I’m 99.9% sure I’m not actually expanding my maxilla or improving my airways and just moving/ tilting teeth
I never liked how narrow my palate was, especially the fact that it was pretty much v shaped and my front teeth were overlapping
All I wanted was a slightly wider arch purely for aesthetic purposes
Dentist quoted me 3600 pounds for Invisalign and said he was going to shave my teeth to make space which I really didn’t want to do as if anything I’d like my teeth to be bigger and was looking into composite bonding for that
I bought a Schwartz removable expander from bracesshop. It arrived at the end of February after a month wait in total between receiving the impression kit etc. so I have been wearing it for the past three months and turning the key every three/five days ( I also had phases where I wasn’t turning it as I knew I wouldn’t be wearing it much because of work)
But now that I got used to it I wear it 18/22h a day
So far I expanded 4.5mm and will probs continue until 6/8 depending how I feel.
I started with an intermolar width of 32mn from the gum line. It’s not a crazy change and it hasn’t changed my breathing as that wasn’t an issue I had to begin with but I noticed my face change for the better, I don’t think there’s any forward growth happening and if anything the expander is helping with my tooth flare. The best improvement is my nasolabial folds, my tooth arch is giving a bit more support to that part of my face which I really like and it was my main concern (and I guess gives the appearance of forward growth).
I get jaw Botox already for my tmj pain so can’t comment on that either.
My bottom arch is still narrow from all the teeth tiling inwards to match how narrow the upper arch was. Will give it time and see it adjusts to the new bite once I’m done expanding and can wear a normal retainer
Again I know it’s not a crazy change but I’m happy to see my front teeth looking more aligned