Palatal Expander

The palatal expander "expands" (or widens) your upper jaw by putting gentle pressure on your upper molars each time an adjustment is made. The animation below will instruct you about when and how to adjust your expander. When you achieve the desired expansion, you will wear the appliance for several months to solidify the expansion and to prevent regression.

Adjusting the palatal expander

You can also download these instructions in a printable PDF document.

Step 1

Hold the expander with the yellow arrow facing you.

Step 2

Place the key in the hole at the “tail” end of the arrow until it is firmly in place.

Step 3

Push the key in the direction of the arrow. You will notice that the expansion screw will rotate and the new hole will appear.

Step 4

Pull the key straight out of the hole. The next hole for insertion of the key should be fully visible.