Hi lovelies! ♥
Today I’ll be updating on my palatal expander treatment required before getting braces on. I guess I’m pretty old to be getting braces on, but I know many people who’ve started even later!
In my case, I have open bite and under bite, pretty serious because I have to go through pre-braces treatment even before getting braces on. Better to Google to get a clearer picture of it. Open bite (from my reading) means when I clench my jaw together, there is still a wide opening between my upper and lower jaw. Under bite is when the lower jaw is protruding and more forward than your upper jaw.
I was actually supposed to get braces last two years, but after consulting my regular dentist, she advised that I go through numerous jaw alignment surgeries which costs a bomb (all up to roughly RM30,000) and that demotivated me from getting braces. So in the end, I only got my moulds and X-ray done. Should have gone to a few orthodontics before making my decision T_T
Anyway, fast forward two years, and I stumbled upon an orthodontics recommended by my cousin. It’s located in Bangsar area, called Loh Dental Surgery in Wisma Pantai (not Pantai Hospital) beside TM Building. I had a hard time searching for his contact number, so if you want them, kindly leave a comment below 🙂
After getting my moulds/impressions done, he requested that I should wear removable palatal expander to expand my narrow upper jaw in order to correct my bite. I laughed so loudly when I saw that it’s a REMOVABLE type, and not the conventional permanent metal one that looks like a torture device! Which means less torturing and I can still eat my favourite food! The duration of wearing it varies on situation, but for mine, he recommended a 2-3 months duration with check-ups every 3 weeks. I have to manually turn the expander at home with a tiny key once a week only. I’m in my 3rd week of wearing them, and I’ve gotten pretty used to it.
Palatal expander made specially for my upper jaw.
See that arrow pointing upwards? You’ll have to insert a key into the hole, and
push it upward to activate it 🙂
The pros is that you will definitely lose weight a little, because of the number of meals you take a day. In my case, I’m lazy to take it out and put them on again after every meal, so I only limit myself to three meals a day which is a large comparison to my binge eating previously.
The only thing that was a hassle was to remove it before brushing teeth and before every meal, but it’s okay. After turning it one turn, you will experience a slight discomfort for a few minutes because the expander will feel tighter in your jaw, but I actually like that tight feeling. Hahaha.
I’ll update again after I’m done with this palatal expander treatment! 😀
Signing off ♥
( = ^ ㅅ ^ = )
♥ Miss Tiffany H ♥ 