Does a Palate Expander Hurt? 3 Ways to Ease Pain [+ 5 Benefits]
Yes, a palate expander hurts more than braces, but that is for a very valid reason and for a very short time. As the name suggests, palate expanders exert pressure to make enough room in the mouth for the teeth.
So, they might hurt in the initial days, but they become easier and more comfortable with time, and the pain nearly vanishes. Palm Valley Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics offers personalized palate expander treatments for healthier, properly aligned smiles – schedule your consultation today!
What are Palate Expanders?
Starting with the basics, palate expanders are oral devices that ensure the widening of a narrow jaw to make room for misaligned teeth.
Why is Palate Expanders Recommended?
Here are some of the reasons why a palate expander becomes inevitable:
Dental Crowding
It is a dental abnormality in which teeth are irregularly aligned in the mouth. This misalignment leaves no room for space in the mouth, causing jaw tightening and reduced tongue mobility.
Impacted Teeth
An impacted tooth is a tooth that stays trapped inside the jaw rather than fully sprouting out at its time.
This condition can cause severe pain, discomfort, and swelling.
Nasal Breathing Issues
Orthodontics might also recommend palate expanders to widen the upper jaw to relieve the nuisance during breathing and improve airflow.
Malocclusion
A malocclusion is a dental condition in which the upper teeth are placed behind the lower teeth, meaning the molars are not aligning. This misalignment causes severe stress on the front teeth and the back teeth.
What is the Right Age for a Palate Expander?
The main goal of this device is to create space in the mouth, so it should be done before the body runs out of growth hormones.
Children who are still growing tend to have softer and more flexible jaws and bones. These flexible and soft bones make this treatment more effective at that stage.
Adults can also get palate expanders, although the treatment is not standard at an adult age.
There is a relatively new technique to enhance the efficiency of palate expanders and make them more viable after the growth age has passed.
In this new treatment, MARPE (Miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expander), small crews are inserted inside the palate bones to enhance the pressure exerted.
This additional pressure aids in moving the palate bones, not just the teeth, making this process long-lasting.
Why Palate Expanders Might Cause Discomfort?
Palate expanders are a step-by-step process that requires some patience. The orthodontics will prep your jaw in various stages using multiple techniques to make it wide and flexible.
In the initial days, the activation of the expanders or the turning of the screws might cause some irritation and discomfort. But rest assured, all this is very short term.
According to NIH, this pain and discomfort only last for one week.
Patients might also experience slight irritation during the palate expander removal. But it is not painful.
The same goes for the case of turning a palate expander. It might cause some distress, but all of it quickly fades away.
Here are some of the things that a person might experience during this procedure:
- Sense of pressure in the upper jaw and front teeth
- Headaches due to the widening of the palate
- Speech difficulties for a short time due to the tongue-adjustment with the relatively new device
- Enhanced salivation caused by the new device in your mouth
- Soreness in the mouth
- In some rare cases, people might also experience numbness and discoloration
How to Manage the Discomfort Caused by Palate Expanders?
American Association of Orthodontics states that patients can encounter this mild pain with OTC medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Here are some other ways to deal with the discomfort effectively:
Avoid Hard Foods
To reduce discomfort, patients should avoid chewy and hard foods. On the contrary, they can eat soft foods such as yogurt and mashed potatoes.
This practice exerts less pressure on the teeth and makes eating comfortable.
Apply a Cold Compress
Patients can use a cold compress to numb the inflammation and make the pain manageable. Place some ice or a packet of frozen peas to ease the pain.
Rinse with Salt Water
Warm saline or salt water is also effective in treating pain. The saltwater soothes the agitated nerves and reduces irritation.
What are the Long-term Benefits of Getting a Palate Expander?
Apart from the overall improvement of dental orientation, here are some benefits that make palate expanders a worthy treatment:
- Better Dental Alignment
Palate expanders tend to correct mouth asymmetry by expanding the palate and making ample room for the teeth to adjust.
This practice ensures proper jaw alignment, reducing the overpowering stress and optimizing the dental orientation.
Improved Nasal Passageways
The palate expansion can open nasal passageways. Therefore improving the airflow and reducing snoring.
Palate expanders can also treat obstructive sleep apnea, thus improving the person’s sleep pattern.
Facial Aesthetics
The main goal of the palate expanders is to align crowded teeth or an overbite, which leads to better facial aesthetics.
Alignment paves the way for facial balance, thus making all the discomfort worth it.
Reduced Teeth Impaction
Palate expanders solve impacted teeth problems by exerting pressure on the premolars, leading to an upper jaw expansion.
This extra space prevents the occurrence or recurrence of impacted teeth.
The Bottom Line
So, getting palate expanders might be uncomfortable in the initial sessions, but as time passes, it becomes highly manageable.
With proper care, hygiene regulation, and management, the benefits of a palate expander far outweigh the short-term inconvenience.
