Palate expanding for 11 year old?

[Kimkimkim]

Hi all,

I took my daughter to her first orthodontist appointment this morning. She has overcrowding and has very high canines as a result. We were told she needs to remove 2 teeth to make room for the canines to come down but I'm really reluctant for them to remove any teeth unless it's the last option. I read about palate expanding to make room and mentioned this to the consultant but she said there's no room for that procedure? I thought the whole point of this is to make room? Should we get a second opinion or just trust her?

Thanks

 

[Janet Two Hawks]

One of the problems with using maxillary expansion (upper expander) if the jaw itself is not too narrow, is it will then not coordinate with the lower arch and, you can actually expand the teeth so much the roots are too close to the edge of the bone. If the crowding is so severe that the canines are crowded out of the dental arch, it is usually advisable to extract two bicuspids. I'd trust that, but get a second opinion if it makes you feel better. Best of luck.