Definition
Palatal expansion is an orthodontic treatment that stimulates the growth of the upper jaw if the upper jaw is too narrow. The palate is the fusion of two bones, which are connected in the middle by a natural growth plate. If the development of the upper jaw is disturbed, the growth of the upper jaw stops while the lower jaw continues to grow.
The result is that the upper jaw is too narrow, poor dentition develops and the upper teeth have far too little space. Orthodontics now tries to stimulate the width growth of the upper jaw again with the palatal expansion. The advantage for children is that the growth plate in the middle of the upper jaw is not yet completely ossified, allowing movement and growth in a relatively short period of time.
Why is a palatal expansion necessary?
A too narrow upper jaw due to lack of growth is not only a dental problem. The patient may experience severe discomfort during nasal breathing, as the palate is the base of the nose and the lack of growth causes breathing to become more difficult. The nasal airways are simply narrowed by the reduced upper jaw, so that hardly any air can pass through.
A constriction in the upper jaw can occur because there is not enough space for the permanent teeth due to the narrow shape. The teeth are often nested and can tilt in different directions. Furthermore, it can happen that the lower jaw teeth exceed the upper jaw teeth due to their further growth.
Then either a head bite develops, with which the cusps of the upper and lower jaw teeth stand on each other and do not interlock, or a cross bite. The cross bite describes the condition when the lower teeth are positioned further out than the upper teeth, which should be. Also strongly forward directed upper front teeth can be caused by the growth of the lower jaw and therefore the missing growth of the upper jaw, if the lower front teeth push the upper front teeth forward and upwards by the growth movement. All the reasons mentioned above are indications for palatal expansion.