Note when expanding the jaw when braces

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Jaw dilation when braces are performed to increase the palate area of ​​the upper jaw area. However, when using the method of enlargement of the jaw can make it difficult to maintain oral hygiene, the ability to eat and speak, so special attention should be paid.

1. What is a jaw expansion?

Jaw dilation is a special orthodontic technique, this method uses a special instrument to expand the jaw, thereby increasing the area of ​​the oral cavity, widening the distance between the teeth. Braces will close the teeth without being pushed to help limit the need to pull teeth before braces are performed.
Before braces, it is necessary to create enough space on the jaw arch to push the teeth into the correct position, limiting tooth extraction. Depending on the case, there are different indications, because the jaw bone structure of each person is different, sometimes in some cases it is not necessary to expand the jaw when wearing braces, to know the correct condition needs to be checked.

2. Why is it necessary to widen the jaw when wearing braces?

Jaw expansion aims to expand the area of ​​the dental arches, create a balance of the two jaws, and a more harmonious facial structure. Especially when wearing braces, some people only need braces because of their arch structure, but some people have to undergo jaw enlargement.
Some objects need to enlarge the jaw such as:
Narrow arch: Usually, the narrow jaw definition will be based on the correlation between the jaw arch and the overall structure of the face to determine how to enlarge the jaw. in the most harmonious way, because there is no specific index to determine the narrow arc. In the case of a narrow jaw, the doctor can take advantage of the indication to widen the jaw to have space to move the teeth that are currently crooked without having to extract the teeth. The arch of the jaw does not have enough space for teeth to be arranged: Normally, each of us's jaws will balance the position for all 28 teeth, but in this case, they stand evenly together. Indications to expand the jaw in these cases are only used while expanding the jaw a little, not expanding the jaw too much, because when the teeth move, it will again disrupt the harmonious structure of the face. Misaligned, distorted teeth: This is the most complicated case because one of the two sides of the jaw is dented and unbalanced with the other jaw. In this case, the bite will be misaligned, in order to balance it, you need to widen one side of the jaw to balance the other side. Thus, the expansion of the jaw when braces do not always need to be done and should not be applied arbitrarily, because it can disrupt the normal structure of the palate and facial harmony. A specific examination with a doctor is necessary to determine each case.

3. What methods of dilatation?

Jaw dilation before braces can apply a number of methods such as:
Rapid jaw expansion Rapid jaw expansion uses an appliance that can provide a fast jaw expansion rate from 0.5mm to 1mm per day. Usually, after quick jaw enlargement, you will need to carry out cosmetic braces because the rate of bone growth is faster than the speed of tooth movement, so it will create a gap between your two front teeth.
Slow Jaw Dilation With slow jaw dilation, using an appliance will help to expand slowly at a slow rate of about 1mm per week. Therefore, the rate of bone growth will be proportional to the speed of teeth moving when expanding the jaw, thereby reducing the rate of incisors that are spaced much apart and also less painful than the rapid method of jaw expansion.
Jaw dilation with Implant support The method of jaw enlargement with Implant support is mainly used for adults. There will be about 2 to 4 mini Implants plugged directly into the middle of the roof of the mouth. The mini implants will help connect with the jaw expansion devices to expand the area.
Jaw dilation with archwire In addition to using specialized jaw widening appliances, in some cases with mild, insignificant crowding, it is possible to perform jaw dilation with archwire. However, the effectiveness of this technique is not really guaranteed, so if after about 5 to 6 months there are no results, you will need to perform jaw enlargement with appliances.

4. Notes on jaw enlargement before braces

When expanding the jaw can cause discomfort to the patient due to the feeling of entanglement, pain, easy food sticking to the appliance, changes in pronunciation, so special attention should be paid to appropriate care:
In the early days, if the pain is too much, you can use pain relievers as directed to limit the pain. Oral hygiene when using dentures: Oral hygiene is very important because it is very difficult to remove food from the appliance. Because the brush or bamboo toothpick are very difficult to manipulate to clean food. The best thing to do is to gargle vigorously with clean water or an antibacterial mouthwash. If you have better conditions, buy a water flosser to clean your teeth. Diet when expanding the jaw: In the first 1 to 3 days, when expanding the jaw, you should use soft and liquid food because it will be painful at this time, so it is difficult to eat. During the use of a jaw extender, foods that are hard, chewy or sticky should be avoided. This will prevent food from getting stuck in the appliance, causing oral infections. Cut food into small pieces to avoid choking when swallowing food. How to overcome difficult pronunciation: In the early days, the ability to speak will be affected quite a lot because there is a feeling of being stuck in the mouth and a lot of saliva is secreted. At this time, it takes patience to practice pronunciation like a child. Try to speak more slowly and use your tongue to pronounce words more clearly. When staying at home, it is also a good way to practice reading a story book, certain article to shorten the process of getting used to the device or to practice singing. Note, when practicing pronunciation with a jaw expander, the tongue will collide a lot with the instrument, so it is easy to get hurt. So buy a box of dental wax to apply on the jaw extender. Jaw enlargement can be done at the same time as braces, so there is no need to worry about waiting too long.

Jaw dilation can be affected at first when not used to it, causing pain, but compared to tooth extraction, it is always a better choice. So just try to take the following precautions to reduce discomfort and minimize tooth extraction.
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