Invisalign Palatal Expander

Invisalign Palatal Expander is designed to treat growing kids (6 to 10years old) and teens (12 to 16 years old) with:

• Narrow arches
• Crossbites 
• Dental Crowding
• Restricted airways caused by a narrow palatal vault or nasal base

These kids and teens must have stable mixed dentitions or be in early adult dentitions to provide a strong foundation for Expanders to click over and transmit forces to expand the narrow maxilla. 

The Invisalign Palatal Expander is a customised, 3D printed series of removable expanders,  designed to expand the narrow upper arch or maxilla incrementally by 0.25mm per expander. The close-fitting coverage of each Invisalign Palatal Expander to the patient’s palatal vault helps transmit expansion forces efficiently to separate the mid-palatal suture gently. The Invisalign Palatal Expander is clipped snugly to the back teeth over small tooth-colored attachments to ensure it does not fall out. 

The thickness of the Expander is customized based on the patient’s unique features and anatomy and the force levels needed to effect expansion. Even identical twins will have different Expanders. The thickness of the Expander is also customized to maximize the patient’s comfort. 

For effective treatment, expansion forces must be applied constantly. Therefore, the Invisalign Palatal Expander is meant to be worn DAILY and TO EAT! It is removable to allow tooth brushing and flossing only.

Each Invisalign Palatal Expander is 3D printed from polyamide-12 (Nylon 12). This is a medical grade Nylon approved by the Food and Drug Administration of USA.

Invisalign Palatal Expanders do not easily fall out of the mouth because of 4 reasons:

1. Attachments on upper back teeth 
2. Broad palatal coverage of the palate
3. Expanders that adapt to changing shape of expanding roof of the mouth
4. Close-fitting, printed expanders that hug the contours of the upper teeth

Invisalign Palatal Expanders tooth-colored attachments are placed on the upper adult first molars and baby second molars for effective retention.

Attachments are placed on the day that Invisalign Expanders are issued. 

Invisalign Palatal Expanders are printed with broad palatal coverage, which increases retention through tissue contact and upward tongue pressure. 

Invisalign Palatal Expanders uses AI and complex algorithms to calculate and predict changes in the anatomy of the palatal vault as it expands. This enables Invisalign to print Expanders that conform and adapt to an expanding upper arch, increasing its retention and staying power. 

Invisalign Palatal Expanders replicate the anatomy of the teeth they cover because they are designed and printed from intra-oral digital iTero scans of your child’s teeth. This accuracy makes each Invisalign Palatal Expander fit snugly over teeth, increasing its retention. 

Invisalign Palatal Expander has three distinct treatment planning phases. Each phase is for a specific purpose.

There are 3 phases for Invisalign Palatal Expander treatment :

1. Expansion Phase

• The time in the Expansion Phase depends on the amount of expansion needed.
• Typically, 4 – 8 weeks are needed for 7mm of expansion at 0.25mm per Expander. This also depends on the frequency of the Expander change, which will be prescribed by your Orthodontist. 

2. Holding Phase 

• It focuses on holding the expanded upper maxilla bones and teeth in place while the body consolidates new bone at the expansion site. 
• The Holding Phase typically takes 3 months (or longer in cases with more considerable expansion). 
• During the Holding Phase, the patient wears Holders to hold the expanded arch and teeth in position. The holders are to be worn full-time and are only removed for brushing teeth and flossing. 
• These Holders are changed every 2-4 weeks to stabilize the expanded palate. 
• After a minimum of 2 months in the Holding Phase, teeth are scanned with the iTero scanner for the next phase, Invisalign First. 
• While waiting for Invisalign First aligners, the patient is still advised to wear the Holders for one(1) month. 

3. Invisalign First Phase

• Teeth must now be moved to fit into the newly expanded upper arch. 
• Lower teeth are also moved to coordinate and bite with the new upper teeth position. 
• Invisalign First is highly recommended to move baby and adult teeth into the newly expanded arches because these aligners are designed with the anatomy of baby teeth in mind. Invisalign First also comes with SmartForce and SmartStage planning to maximise the benefits of arch expansion.

COMFORTABLE 

Fixed Hyrax Expanders or metal expanders have metal screws that parents have to learn to activate and turn the screw themselves at home! This often creates unnecessary drama in the house. Invisalign Palatal Expander is metal-free, comfortable and with much less anxiety in the house. Nothing to turn or activate. Just click them on!

Simple  

Simple and easy to wear! Young patients can easily click the Expanders on and remove them independently. Cleaning is straightforward, no more trying to navigate the toothbrush or waterflosser to remove food stuck under hard-to-reach metal screws or parts.

EFFICIENT

Many traditional palatal expanders are just that ONE appliance. If you lose it, break it, or damage the appliance, it means an emergency visit to the Clinic and costly redos or repairs. Even if only one side is loose, the whole metal expander must be removed, cleaned, and re-cemented.

Invisalign Palatal Expanders are a series of digitally printed Expanders that are smartly designed to adapt to the changing anatomy of an expanding upper arch. Each Expander is unique, leading to more efficient arch expansion and good retention of the Expanders. 

EASY TO CLEAN

Invisalign Palatal Expanders are completely removable, so you can clean and floss every corner of your mouth.

Please click here to go to our ‘Help me with’ section, where we will guide you through ‘How to wear Invisalign Palatal Expanders’ and what to expect. We are here to walk you through every step of your Invisalign Palatal Expander journey.