Why Do Some Children Have Crowded Teeth?

Isn’t it strange how one sibling can have perfectly spaced teeth while the other sibling has crooked and crowded teeth? Why does this happen? Well, in some cases, a child’s mouth simply doesn’t grow big enough to accommodate all of their teeth. As a result, the teeth push together, overlap, and become crooked.

Braces can’t fix this problem, at least not right away. First, a dentist must actually make the child’s jaw bigger. A dentist does this by using a special device, known as a palatal expander or a Hyrax expander. The Hyrax expander comes with two arms that push gently and steadily on either side of the maxilla (the upper jaw). Each week, the dentist (or the patient if he/she is old enough) turns a screw to expand the arms just a little bit. 

Over time, the pressure helps expand the jaw, allowing crowded teeth the space they need to settle in the mouth. After the palatal expander has done its work, a dentist may then suggest braces to help straighten the teeth.

At Space Maintainers Laboratories, we can manufacture custom Hyrax expanders for your dental patients.