Why expanders

When you finish checking your incisions and drain site, place a clean gauze pad over your incision and put on your bra. You can shave under your arms about 2 weeks after your surgery. Only use an electric razor to shave under your arms on the affected side. This is to prevent getting a cut, which you may not feel due to numbness. A cut could lead to an infection. This will prevent the deodorant from getting on your incision and causing an infection.

Your first follow-up appointment after your surgery will be 1 to 2 weeks after your surgery. Make sure to shower before this appointment.

This is usually 24 to 48 hours after you drain s is removed. If you went home with a JP drain s , your healthcare provider will remove it if the amount of drainage is less than 30 mL 1 fluid ounce a day for 2 days in a row, per drain.

Most people describe the drain removal as a slight pulling or stinging feeling that lasts only a few minutes. After your drain s is removed, some fluid may continue to leak from the drain site s. Cover the area with a sterile gauze pad or the Primapore TM dressing that your nurse gave you. Change your gauze and dressing if they become damp. By that time, the drain sites are usually healed. After the drain s is removed, continue to wear the surgical bra or you can wear your own supportive bra.

It should:. Your doctor may also have you place thick gauze pads over your drain sites for extra compression. This is to prevent fluid from building up under your skin. The tissue expansion procedure only takes a few minutes. You may feel some tightness and fullness in your breast and some discomfort in your shoulder or back after each expansion.

This usually gets better within a few days. After your expansion your chest may be sore, like after you have exercised. Here are some things you can do to increase your comfort between tissue expansions:. You can continue your normal activities after each tissue expansion appointment. Follow these guidelines while you heal to stay safe and comfortable. Your tissue expander may be over-expanded. Although expanders are more forgiving of hard and sticky foods than are braces, it is recommended that your child avoid any sticky, jelly-like candies that could get stuck in the expansion screw.

He will decide how much expansion is necessary as part of the initial diagnosis and treatment plan. This is usually months, but is determined by each individual case.

Tags: Forcier Orthodontics , orthodontist , blog , Phase I treatment , palatal expander , cross-bite , crowding. Your website can go viral, you need some initial traffic only. But how to get initial traffic? Share Article:. An update from Madison Mouthguards Lower expanders can also fix teeth that are crowded or leaning in too much, by spreading out your lower teeth. There will be some discomfort at first, but there will not be a lot of pain. The expander may feel heavy in your mouth at first, since it is something new and different in there.

When the palate expander is widened, you may feel some pressure in your mouth and on your tongue. The pressure may even spread to your eyes and nose, but this will go away after a while. There is some discomfort involved, but do not worry. You will not be in excruciating pain! Typically, weeks. Some patients need longer, but not usually longer than 6 months. Sometimes the bones in your mouth just take longer to adjust and need time to form. After getting your expander in, your parent will be given a key.

This is used to widen the expander at determined times. Your parent will be given specific instructions on how to do this. There are diet restrictions when you have an expander in, just like with braces. Avoiding hard foods is important. Expanders can be expensive, before insurance that is. Insurance will usually cover the entire cost, since teeth expanders are necessary for good dental health.

You need to have good hygiene too. With a foreign object in your mouth, there is a higher chance of bacteria getting in. Make sure you take the time to brush your teeth and frequently clean your expander. Some side effects include producing extra saliva, headaches, or having difficulty speaking. These are of course temporary and disappear as you adjust.

That was everything you need to know about teeth expanders! A palate expander is an orthodontic tool used to widen the palate — the roof of the mouth, also referred to as the maxilla — over time.

Everyone is unique, including their palate shape. A dental expander makes room for teeth to grow and corrects specific jaw alignment problems.

Palatal expanders work by applying gentle pressure to the palate until it reaches the desired expansion. Most orthodontists will keep the palate expander in place after achieving the desired expansion so the palate solidifies its new shape, then orthodontic treatment will continue as needed.

They come in two main forms — fixed and removable. Palate expanders rest along the top of the mouth, suited to the natural shape of the dental arch and palate size. A standard palate expander is the rapid palatal expander RPE. An RPE has a center screw with four branches that attach to parallel back teeth of the upper jaw.

The orthodontist will supply you with a small key that activates the center screw. Every day, patients will use that key to turn the screw and activate the RPE, widening it and creating tension on the two palatal bones. Over three to six months, the RPE will expand the palate to the desired shape.