11 Jul 4 Signs You Need Expansive Orthodontic Treatment
Expansive orthodontic treatment widens the upper or lower jaw to help clear your airway, accommodate teeth, and correct dental issues. It may be just the option you need to stop using your CPAP machine.
An upper palate expander forces the bones apart, widening the roof of your mouth. A lower jaw expander pushes the teeth out, accomplishing the same thing without changing the shape of the bone.
Expansive orthodontics does more than fix dental problems; it can also help with breathing issues. Expanding the upper palate opens up the nasal passages, making breathing easier and eliminating sleep apnea in some cases.
Here are 4 signs expansion might work well in your case.
1. Crowded Teeth
Crowded teeth are exactly what the name implies. You can look at some mouths and see teeth growing in front of or behind each other. Crowding occurs when the jaw isn’t big enough to accommodate all the teeth.
By itself, tooth crowding isn’t enough to warrant palate expansion. There are many other ways to treat this condition, including tooth spacers. However, when combined with other factors, palate expansion might be necessary.
2. Impacted Teeth
Impacted teeth are one step beyond simple crowding. When the jaw is so tiny that the teeth grow sideways, they will not erupt.
In this case, the child will lose baby teeth, but the adult teeth will remain in the gums, unable to grow into the mouth. So, as the child grows, it will appear like they have missing teeth. As the tooth tries to erupt, it can experience pain.
3. Narrow Roof of the Mouth
If the upper palate is too narrow, your child’s tongue cannot rest against the roof of the mouth. A narrow upper palate can affect breathing and talking.
Genetics can be the root cause, but it can also result from tongue-tie. In this condition, a narrow band keeps the child from fully extending the tongue.
Dealing with the tongue tie and widening the upper palate can reduce or eliminate future dental and breathing problems.
4. Crossbite
In a regular bite, the upper teeth sit slightly outside the lower teeth when the mouth is closed. A crossbite occurs when the upper teeth lie inside the lower teeth.
A crossbite almost always requires palate expansion. If left untreated, the tooth surfaces will not align for proper chewing and will wear down, causing years of future dental problems.
Final Thoughts
The good news is that expansive orthodontics are available to help you with your dental and breathing issues. At Crosspointe Sleep Solutions, we can help you get to the root of your health issues. Give us a call today.