Functions of the palate

The fore part of the palate, the hard palate, separates above all the mouth from the nasal cavity from each other. Due to the resistance it offers through its hard structure, the hard palate serves as an abutment against the tongue and thus supports the swallowing process by pushing the tongue upwards, for example when swallowing, so that food particles can slide further back in the oral cavity or towards the pharynx. The soft palate is flexible due to its structure and the muscles it contains.

It separates the oral cavity from the nasopharynx and the adjacent nasal cavity. Directly behind the soft palate, the pharynx opens up, from which it descends towards the oesophagus and larynx with trachea. When swallowing, the soft palate with the soft palate sails has the task of preventing liquids or food pulp from entering the nasal cavity.

For this purpose, the soft palate is pressed against the back wall of the throat by a muscle (Musculus constrictor pharyngis) during swallowing. This closes the nasal cavity from the oral cavity. The soft palate also has a further function in the formation of sounds (articulation), i.e. speaking.

Depending on whether the speech is more oral (i.e. via the oral cavity) or more nasal (the sounds are pronounced through the nose), the soft palate can direct the escaping airflow. With oral sounds, the nasal cavity is separated from the oral cavity (as with swallowing). In this way, the air coming out of the lungs (phonation flow) passes through the throat and the oral cavity. With nasal sounds, such as some consonants, the soft palate at the back closes the oral cavity and the outflowing and noise-producing air flows through the nasal cavity.

Orthodontics on the palate

A palatal expansion serves to widen the upper jaw including the palate in a lateral direction. The indication for this is a disproportion in the lateral size of the lower and upper jaw. The age of the patient is taken into account when choosing the method.

In children, there is physiologically a growth gap between the two halves of the palate, which can be widened by removable braces or fixed appliances. Since the braces hinder speech and are less likely to produce therapeutic success, fixed appliances are usually used. These can be adjusted by the patient or a close person, so that, for example, one hinge can be turned every few days and the braces are thus wider.

In adults, a growth plate no longer exists, which makes oral surgery necessary. This has the goal of weakening the suture between both halves of the jaw. Usually parallel to this, the bone above the teeth of the upper jaw is weakened.

These two procedures make it possible to widen the palatal sutures in adults. Since a widening of the palate involves a lot of movement and high pressure or tension in the mouth area, pain is normal, especially at the beginning of therapy. In addition, a gap in the area of the upper incisors appears after a few days, but this is a positive sign.

It means that the enlargement is effective. Throughout the entire treatment period, good oral hygiene should be observed. Regular check-up appointments should also be kept, as the holders of the appliance often loosen and damage to the tooth or gum can be avoided early on.

After the expansion is completed, the appliance should remain in the mouth for about six weeks, since bone is formed during this time and the upper jaw is stabilized in its new position. A palatal expansion is also helpful in the event of cross bites and breathing problems, since the palate is expanded as the floor of the nasal cavity, thus allowing more volume to flow. This is what people with allergies and snoring try to achieve nowadays.A palatal brace is a wire bow that runs across the palate between the large molars on both sides and is fixed to them.

The aim of a palatal brace is to anchor the cheek teeth more firmly in the upper jaw and to reduce snoring. Stronger anchoring is achieved by pressing the tongue against the wire bow between the molars with each swallow. Due to the mechanical coupling at the teeth, they are also pressed deeper into the upper jaw during each swallowing process. Snoring is prevented by the fact that the wire bow between the molars acts as a mechanical barrier that prevents the soft palate or uvula from closing the upper airways. The advantage over a protrusion splint or snoring splint is that there is no need for a complete set of teeth, the palatal brace does not cause any temporomandibular joint pain or damage and only borders on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity, which is not damaged by it.