Narrow Upper Jaw Treatment
Narrow Upper Jaw Treatment
A Narrow Upper Jaw can result in one or more of the following problems:
A narrow upper jaw reduces the space available for the teeth to fit and almost 95% of the time there is crooked teeth associated with a narrow upper jaw. Although some jaws are narrow due to genetics, mouth breathing can also play a role leading to narrow upper jaws.
To fix a narrow upper jaw, sometimes, an expander is placed. An expander is device which slowly and gently widens the upper jaw to its correct dimensions. This may create space, correct crossbites, and set the jaws up for the best chance of normal development long term. Narrow upper jaws are best treated as early as possible (Often around ages 8-10 years old as the jaws have the best chance of maturing).
Left untreated narrow upper jaws can lead to lopsided jaws and teeth, and later correction may involve surgery.
