Orthodontia question - palatal expander

[jlaspoq]

Hi! Has anyone got experience with a palatal expander? My DD10 is getting hers put in on Thursday. It looks and sounds like a torture device to me....
We have to use a small wrench to adjust it daily for 6 to 8 weeks and it will add 5 to 6 mm to her palate.

Is this thing as awful as it sounds? will it hurt constantly, or only for a little while each day after the adjustment? Will I hate doing it to her????

She has a lip bumper on the bottom and has dealt with that fine - just a couple of mornings of soreness which tylenol helped.

Thanks!

 

[wfloyd]

This sounds like something I had as a kid. I don't remember it hurting that much. There was a little discomfort but the distance it moves with each turn is minimal. Some Tylenol would probably help but you get used to it, much like braces.

I remember the hardest thing was trying to talk when my tounge couldn't go to the roof of the mouth.

 

[wdw4us2]

My DD, now 13, had one when she was 5. She survived it just fine. You might want to give her some Motrin for the first few days and when you have to tighten it.

It does work, DD actually had the option of not getting braces because it made such a difference (she chose to get them). I'm sure she'll be just fine.

 

[Want2liveatWDW]

My son has one. He just had it put in 2 months ago. We had to turn it 2 times a day for 2 weeks. Then 1 time a day for 6 days.
He had some pain and discomfort for the first 3 days. He said the second day was worse than the first. After that there was very little discomfort for him.
Tylenol helped!
He now has to leave it in for 2 months.
His biggest complaint is that food gets stuck up there and bugs him.
HTH

 

[KarenC]

My son had one. I don't remember that he complained about discomfort while he had it. The good news is that he never did need braces once he had the expander!

 

[HeatherH]

My oldest had one when she was eight, and she had NO problems with it at all, other than getting used to speaking with that thing in her mouth.

She actually ENJOYED the key turns, she thought they tickled.

The GOOD part is that she's now 12, and in full braces, but because of the palate expander she needed NO extractions and her braces time is greatly reduced.

Your daughter will be just fine, honest.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My son had one before he had braces. I don't remember it being bad at all. He's the type to complain with any discomfort so it must not have been too bad. Kind of fun turning the screw...

T&B

 

[chrissyk]

I had one before I had braces put on as a child. It is a little uncomfortable when you do the 1/2 key turn twice a day. Food gets stuck on top of it, which is SO gross. I can remember that that really bothered me! One side of my upper jaw was basically concave, and the palate expander made it into a normal shape.

The only downside is that, as an adult, I have had a great deal of gum recession on that side of my upper jaw. My dentist instantly knew what I'd had for orthodontia the first time he saw the recession.

 

[jlaspoq]

Thanks, everyone, you have made me feel better about this. I don't want her to know how apprehensive I am about it, because she's just nervously excited about the whole braces thing. I had braces, but never this thing. I think what got me was when someone told me about actually hearing it "pop" the palate one day....???? maybe I misunderstood. I hope.

Want2liveatDisney - thanks for the recent real-time experience report! My DD will have to leave hers in for a couple months also after it does it's thing. Guess they have to have time to solidify or whatever.

 

[clh2]

Just a couple of hints from a mom who has BTDT with DD a couple of years ago.

Hopefully your orthodontist's office will give you these types of hints:

Be careful about your child eating really hot food. Once it gets stuck up in the palate expander, it's stuck. Well - I'm sure you get the picture.

Tie something onto the palate expander crank thing. I think we used a piece of floss. That way, if you would accidentally drop the crank thing in their mouth...ah hopefully you get the picture here too!

DD didn't have any issues with pain, although she did say that there was a little bit of pressure shortly after each "turn"

Good Luck!!!

 

[motherhen17404]

My son goes in tomorrow to have his expander put in. Thanks for the tips everyone. I think I am more nervous than he is about this.

 

[Pete's Mom]

I had the one you cranked with a key when I was 26. It was uncomfortable for a few hours after each time I cranked it. It was from the pressure. It's hard to explain but kind of like how you feel when you get a corn chip stuck in between your teeth. As your mouth adjusts to it, the pressure is relieved. Hated whenever food got caught between it and the roof of my mouth. It would drive me nuts!

Pete is 8 1/2 and just got his put in about a month and half ago. His is different, as he goes every three weeks for them to adjust it (by hand, nothing to crank). He has no complaints.

 

[Kaybee]

My DS had an expander. For him in the beginning it was painful. His jaw ached as we turned the expander. Motrin does the best for relieving bone pain. The worst part for him was getting food stuck in the top of his mouth. It drove him crazy. What worked best for getting it out was the water pik. It worked great for blasting the food out of there. It seems like torture when you first start doing the crank, but they get used to it. The results are a beautiful set of perfect straight teeth!!

 

[holycow]

My son had one when he first had braces it hurt for a few days then the pain stops. He said as he turned it each night he only felt pressure no pain.

 

[Kae]

I had one many moons ago I was in 4th grade. I remember 3 turns everynight for 10 days. I remember that it was better to get the turns done quickly & not wait between turns. But back then they gave me somethng alittle stronger then Tylenol-thank goodness And I had to do it over Christmas break & we were in FL. Hope the time flies for DD.

Kae

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Tylenol, Tylenol, Tylenol!!!!!!!!!!!

It can be painful. Also, invest in a syringe (my ortho gave me one) to squirt in the appliance to get food out.

Getting it removed was the tortuous part. The roof of my mouth bled. They let me up out of the seat so I could go brush so I sat and cried in the bathroom a few minutes before I went back in. LOL, before the did it they said, "Just to warn you, this is going to hurt," and it did.

Good luck!

 

[jlaspoq]

Well, she's back now and doing ok so far. She is really having a hard time talking! I keep telling her she'll get used to it.

She's having trouble with piano practicing today too..... but I don't think she can blame that on the orthodontist!!!!

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement. They did give us a syringe to help with cleaning, and DH had also thought about tying something to the wrench, as someone suggested here.

 

[RadioFanatic]

I had one as a kid - it did hurt while being turned - and you'll have to do it - it's too hard to do on your own, but it wasn't excrutiating.

I hated it to because it made me talk funny for awhile and also food got caught in it b/w the piece and the roof of my mouth. Supposedly it helped, but 20 years later, I still remember how miserable it was and still don't see how it helped. Good luck to your daughter and if you have any other questions, just ask!

 

[funhouse8]

Three of my kids had this. The results were great. I had to have teeth removed from my mouth before braces. They didnot. Just be careful turning the key. I didn't realize it could go all the way though to the top of the mouth and scraped my sons mouth once. I felt terrible. Trying a string on is a excellent idea and it helps for them to tilt their mouth back. I had them lay sideways on the couch and stood behind their head to turn. It was much easier and easy to see what I was doing this way. good luck.

 

[MickeysMommy]

I had one many moons ago and I don't remember any pain at all. Maybe just a little discomfort to get used to it but it didn't hurt at all when you "turned the key".

Good Luck