Change in facial appearance after palate expansion?

[Collie]

Hi guys,

I'm going to be getting my palate expander in soon (not sure if I want to wait until after the holidays or just get the process started asap--but thats for another thread! haha), and when I was at my consultation I had asked my ortho if my face would look any different when my palate gets expanded. She said no, no changes to the appearance, which I found odd. Surely a wider upper palate/jaw would change the shape of the face a little bit? Not to mention my smile will be wider where as right now its very constricted and I have lots of dark triangles. My little sister went through palate expansion just a bit ago and her face changed noticeably. However, she is 12 so I'm sure puberty is playing a part in that haha.

Those of you who went through palate expansion, did you notice any changes to your facial aesthetics?

[BeautifulDisaster]

I didn't have a palate expander, so I can't give you a fair answer. My teeth were very crowded due to underdeveloped jaws. I had a transpalatal bar to keep my molars from moving inwards as the rest of my teeth straightened out. My face did change. Looking at my pictures pre-braces, it seems as though my cheeks were weirdly swollen. Now that my jaws are better developed and my teeth are more aligned, my face seems to be more symmetrical and thinner/smoother/more angular. Only one friend has mentioned my face looking thinner, but I definitely notice it and have been pleased with the change.

[jaime]

I had SARPE in 2013. The biggest change I noticed was my lips. I would always smile with my mouth closed and after SARPE, my lips looked flatter/straighter since they weren't curving around my narrow palate.

I don't know if that makes sense, so here is a photo I did last summer to show the comparison. Keep in my mind I also lost 25lbs between the photos so that is part of why I look so different. But if you look at my upper lip area, you can see it's flatter.

http://i.imgur.com/TIvA1wW.jpg

[Featheryy1221]

My face changed after palatal expansion.

I had 15 mm of non-surgical palatal expansion and when I compare my before and afters my face has changed for the better. I notice I now have cheek bones which I never had before. They're a lot more pronounced. My smile is leaps and bounds wider. I also can breathe so much easier through my nose. Pre-palatal expansion my nose breathing was getting difficult for me.

Overall, all very positive facial changes. I'm very happy with my end result. And I'm glad I chose that option.

Good luck!

[Collie]

My face changed after palatal expansion.

I had 15 mm of non-surgical palatal expansion and when I compare my before and afters my face has changed for the better. I notice I now have cheek bones which I never had before. They're a lot more pronounced. My smile is leaps and bounds wider. I also can breathe so much easier through my nose. Pre-palatal expansion my nose breathing was getting difficult for me.

Overall, all very positive facial changes. I'm very happy with my end result. And I'm glad I chose that option.

Good luck!

Ahh this makes me feel so much better! especially since you did it non-surgically which I will (hopefully) be doing. Congrats on all the positive changes

[UnhappyCamper]

Its always better to get palete expansion rather than extractions.

[Collie]

Its always better to get palete expansion rather than extractions.

No extractions, just palate expander and then braces with elastics to correct my bite.

[LiamE]

[quote="Featheryy1221"]My face changed after palatal expansion.

I had 15 mm of non-surgical palatal expansion and when I compare my before and afters my face has changed for the better. I notice I now have cheek bones which I never had before. They're a lot more pronounced. My smile is leaps and bounds wider. I also can breathe so much easier through my nose. Pre-palatal expansion my nose breathing was getting difficult for me.

Overall, all very positive facial changes. :) I'm very happy with my end result. And I'm glad I chose that option.

Good luck![/quote]

Hey new to this forum so I'm unsure of rules and the likes but, I was planning on going for a palatial expansion consultation as I have trouble breathing through my nose. How old were you when you got this done? How long did it take? Do you have any before or after pictures? It would mean so much as I've been having second thoughts. :)

Thanks in advance,
Liam.

[kpw818]

I think it depends on how much expansion you get with the device. I had a palate expander for several months. My teeth look better, but I didn't notice any expansion in my face. I am getting upper jaw surgery and widening is a part of that.

[ld1976]

I got my RPE 2.5 months ago (shortly before my 40th birthday). I have completed all the rotations and am in the three month wait until it is removed. My smile is way wider and my cheekbones are much more pronounced. I have noticed a difference in my facial structure and my sinuses are so much better. I was expected my teeth to be less crowded, but was not expected all the other positive changes. It makes the hassle and annoyance of the expander so worthwhile.