Rylee is back in to check her RPE (Rapid Palatal Expander), and they made amazing progress! Look at the difference in her smile since last time!
The space in between her centrals (front two teeth) is one indication her palate (roof of her mouth) is indeed expanding, which will keep her out of crossbite (and her jaw more stable) as we move on in treatment. Her parents “turned” the RPE themselves once each day for two weeks to make this progress! Her next step in a few months is to start a Herbst appliance, which will correct her overbite.
All of this is possible because she was seen for the first time at age seven, and she continued free observation appointments until our doctors caught the right moment in her growth to start correction. We are unable to use the RPE and Herbst interventions to correct bite after a certain point in growth.
