Does a 9-year-old who has only lost 6 teeth need a palatal expander for a crossbite?

Question

My son will soon be 9, and we were told that he needs a palatal expander to help his crossbite. He has only lost 6 teeth so far. The orthodontist said that he would need the expander for 6 months, then would have to wear a retainer. He did not mention braces, but the office manager kept referring to the treatment as "Phase I" and mentioned braces a few times. Phase I will cost $1500 for this 6 month treatment. Do you think this is appropriate at this point?

Answer 1

The general consensus for dentists and orthodontists on this matter as far as I am aware is that crossbites should be dealt with as soon as possible no matter what age as they can have negative effects on the teeth and jaws as the patient grows. The expander is more for developing his jaw bone as opposed to moving the teeth hence being termed Phase One. Phase Two involves more aligning the teeth like braces do. If it was my child I would defintely go for Phase one treatment if there was a problem. You might be able to avoid Phase Two altogether if you are lucky. If the jaws are the correct shape and size then the teeth may align themselves adequately. Good luck.

Answer 2

If you orthodontist did not explain what cross bite is then you should ask him to. The expander will hopefully move those teeth into the correct position. They refer to it as phase I because so much depends on whether the other teeth come in correctly once the cross bite is corrected. One thing you have to remember is that cross bite is a functional problem and not just appearance based. If you do not repair the cross bite, over the years he will wear those teeth down and not be able to chew food correctly. I think you are starting him at the right age. If you wait until he is a teenager, it is a lot harder to get the results you want. If a child has to go into ortho, the earlier the better. I started my daughter into ortho at age 8 and we never had to get to phase II. Good luck!

Answer 3

Save your money until he is a teen. My daughter has the same problem. The ortho said she would benifit from it, so when she was 10, she had "phase 1" She had the expander in for a year & I didn't see any difference. She is now 12. It is like, I flushed $2000 down the toilet. I was & still am very disappointed with the result.

Answer 4

Yes. You want to expand the palate before his sutures are fused. Once the expansion has been completed, the appliance should be left in place so that the bone has filled the suture site. 3mths to expand, 3mths to hold .

Answer 5

YOU CAN'T EVER PUT A PRICE ON THE APPROPRIATE CARE FOR SON'S DENTAL HEALTH.
IN FORTHCOMING YEARS THIS WILL ALL BE "WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE."