Seven Facts to Know About Expansion Appliances

Expansion appliances are orthodontic devices that aim at enlarging or expanding the dental arch and the roof of the mouth. This further aim at establishing a balance between the jaw width.

They also go by two different names- palatal expander or the rapid maxillary expansion appliance. In most cases, the expansion appliances are recommended for children of all ages. They are not just for jaw development and healthy dental growth, but also it tends to reduce many potential dental issues for a long term. Let’s get to know more about expansion appliances.

1. Expansion appliances are known for creating a certain amount of space in our mouth for the permanent teeth. This is to ensure that there is no kind of overlapping of teeth or overcrowding of teeth. If there happens to be a certain amount of overlapping or overcrowding, this can lead to clumsy looking dental aesthetics. If teeth are allowed to stay in this overlapped and overcrowded position, it might lead to a severe misalignment between the teeth.
2. Expansion appliance is a custom-made orthodontic device that fits between our back teeth. Once the appliance has been fixed, unmoving, it is tightened regularly with the help of a key by your dental professionals. Regular tightening makes sure that the arch gets perfected in small portions from time to time.

• The orthodontic expansion appliances come in two forms- fixed and removable. While the removable ones are suitable more for primary school going children, the fixed ones, on the other hand, are well suited for teenagers. They are further categorized into three varieties- first being the fixed ones, also known as the Hyrax. Second being the super screw ones, which can be tightened or screwed by the wearer themselves. And lastly, the quad helix ones that are known to correct the teeth placement because of their double impact strategies.

1. Once the expansion appliances are fixed to your mouth, it is recommended that one must avoid sticky and gummy food items. Since for some days, eating and drinking are going to cause certain troubles for our little ones.
2. If your little one has issues regarding widening their upper jaw, then it is recommended by experts to resort to expansion appliances during the beginning years of their teenage life.
3. It must also be known that expansion appliances tend to solve a lot of other major and minor issues. Time for using braces gets cut short, crossbites issues get solved, and most importantly the jaws widen to promote healthy dental growth.

Nothing works fine if you are not working hard. Therefore, even for technical stuff like expansion appliance to work wonders for you, you need to work hard. You will have to practice good oral health practices if you are looking for positive results. Brushing and flossing is a must. Food particles stuck in sensitive and difficult areas need to removed ASAP! Also, the expansion appliance must be thoroughly cleaned every now and then with the specific cleaning aids.