A great treatment for people who are suffering from orthodontic issues such as crossbite, underbite, impacted teeth and overcrowded teeth, is the palatal expansion process, but people are still afraid of using it because of what they hear everyday about the palate expander pain !
I cloud not just sit and watch people risking their dental health because of such ridiculous reason, so i have been around looking for people who had an experience with palatal expansion.
I asked them how was the treatment ? was it effective ? does it worth the pain, the efforts, the spendings ? has anything changed after you went through the treatment ? is it really painful as people in the social media and forums say ? if so, how did you manage with palate expander pain ?
Well, i used to see some “palate expander before and after” type of images when i’am scrolling the social media, it felt good looking at them and see how they tell their stories to people and encourage them to do the same.
But trust me when i tell you i was literally shocked when i saw those people in real life, how this treatment changed their appearance and how confident they look now ! they kept telling me that their life is fully changed after doing it and people should try it too.
I felt really happy for them and this gave me an extra motive to share this with you guys and encourage you to start the treatment as they did, you have wasted enough time and you should immediately go for it !
Why i’am telling you this ?
First, because i do care about how you people feel and i know you need someone to encourage you.
Second, when i asked the people i met about palatal expander pain, the answer was :
Most of them said that it’s only in the first week then everything was great after, while the others said that sometimes it was really painful but not as people are describing it, it is not that big deal actually, and it only require to be patient and stick with the dentist’s instructions.
They also gave me some tips which i am going to talk about in details for better experience with the expansion process .
Palate Expander Pain Relief :
There are many factors patients must focus on to keep their experience as painless as possible such as food, dental hygiene and the appropriate medications to use in such situations.
EATING AND DRINKING :
1)- Try to choose soft foods and liquids that provide your body with the essential nutrition and energy from carbs, proteins, vitamins, etc without making it harder than it is to eat and swallow.
2)- You can choose foods like yogurt, mashed potatoes, bananas, zucchini, and all types vegetables mashed, also ice cream, veggie fried rice, soups etc ..
3)- Chew gently and take small bites because that will put more pressure on your jaws which are already separated by the expander.
4)- Liquids are the key ! they are easy to ingest unlike solid food, because drinking liquids don’t require your tongue to move food inside to chew which makes it easy for patients to enjoy their meals and provide better palate expander pain relief.
5)- It is better to drink healthy drinks and stay away from soda, the point here is to get high quality calories from healthy liquids like tea, coffee, fruits juices, this is great for athletes and bodybuilders especially and people who workout and wanna stay in shape.
6)- If you have favorite solid foods, or you feel like you want a sandwich, you should take the opportunity when you don’t fee discomfort and steal a meal 😀
Relieve Palate Expander Pain Using Medications :
Liquid Advil :
It is a well known and common pain reliever for headaches, backaches, muscle aches, and a lot of different types of pain, taking liquid Advil half an hour before you turn on the expander will incredibly help with the inflammation and discomfort caused by activating the expander.
ICE :
Apply an ice pack to your cheeks after or while turning on the expander, this helps to relieve the inflammation and soreness at the site.
Generally, the coolness will reduce inflammations.
Dental Wax :
Get a dental wax and use it to prevent the friction between the expander and the soft moth tissue, it is really good for protecting your tissue from corrosion and soreness.
Orajel Gel :
If you have any cuts or sore spots, this is one of the best recommended pain relief gels of all time, it contains benzocaine which is great to numb the pain caused by the hardware.
Water Gargling :
For people with low budget and looking for an alternative to Orajel Gel, gargling your mouth using salted tepid water should be enough to relief the pain and discomfort.
ORAL HYGIENE :
Finally, you should keep your palate expander and your mouth clean and wash it for at least three times a day.
A good decision is to consider buying a water flosser because focusing the water under pressure to the hard to reach areas in your mouth will do well with keeping your mouth fully washed, you should also focus on screws and edges of the expander because having some food remains stuck in your gear may cause some problems.
One of those problems is :
” My palate expander key won’t turn “
Of course it won’t ! some people leaves their hardware unwashed for days and days then they wonder why the key won’t turn, obviously because of the food sticking between the expander and the roof of your mouth because you didn’t provide a good oral hygiene.
David Orthodontics made a short simple and clear tutorial for patients with Rapid Palatal Expander on how to properly take care of the expander, how to clean it three times per day and how to turn the expansion key.
CONCLUSION :
Palate expander pain relief is not that big deal as people think, it is actually very easy if you follow the instructions above, starting from changing your eating habits and go for soft foods instead of hard foods, also consider drinking good healthy liquids to keep your energy up.
Use medications and inflammation gels like Dental wax, apply an ice pack to your cheeks every time you turn the expander and consider using pain numbing products like Orajel and Advil.
One of the most important factors for a successful palate expansion experience is the oral hygiene, keeping your expander clean and washing it for three or at least two times a day after meals will prevent any possible issues from happening, therefore you should put it under consideration and never ignore it as most patients unfortunately does.
FAQ :
Why Does My Expander Hurt When I Eat ?
The main goal for this device is to widen your jaw, it puts pressure on the jaw which is attached to your teeth, which also leads to some pressure on your teeth, therefore it is quite normal to have palate expander pain whle you eat.
How Long Does A Palate Expander Hurt ?
Typically, it may take up to 10 days for the pain to vanish, if more, you should have your dentist to check on you.
