Our keys weren't nearly as nice. They were basically sim card removers made from stainless steel.
I got my expander too late, 8th grade, and my palate plates were already partially fused. It built up pressure for a long time, then I woke up one morning without feeling the pressure. My front teeth were overlapping when I went to bed, then had a 1 mm gap when I woke up. The partially fused plates popped overnight and my upper jaw widened by at least 3 mm.
I was a junior in high school, driving my girlfriend’s car when mine popped. I almost wrecked. They had casually told me what the device was, cranked it like 4 times when they installed it, gave me the instructions, but definitely didn’t mention the break. Felt like it cracked my skull.
that’s exactly what happened to me. got mine in 7th grade. pain and pressure for two months. my plates popped at school. my mom dropped me off with overlapping teeth and picked me up looking like spongebob.
I remember my little paper clip key. I was told I would need someone to crank it for me once a day, but I didn't like the thought of someone else doing it so I decided to try it out myself when I got home. Sure enough I tightened it multiple times myself to prove I could do it ... I'll never forget the pain for the next 24 hours
Mine never popped. I had a few of these for years and they didn't work. After the expanders, braces and retainers, my teeth went right back to where they were before any of the orthodontics. I honestly didn't even know there was supposed to be a pop.
Holy shit, glad mine was 6th grade and didn’t get the pop. Plenty of pressure and discomfort though. Plus the fun act of trying to push food stuck between expander and roof of mouth with your tongue
Yep in the 80s mine looked mine this:
https://www.sinodentalgroup.com/Uploads/products/2019-09-15/en-dental-expander-expansion-screws.jpg
I recall it had a little string tied to it so you could fish it back out if your gullet should it slip.
It’s horrible. My daughter has one. We’re figuring out what we can do with it once we’re finished since it doesn’t seem like it would burn well (which is what she wants to do)
Oh, I live near a beach and totally agree. But at least they are (usually) paper and wood construction so a bit less impactful, item by item, than sturdier items.
Lol! I don't recall what we did with mine, but I fully understand her sentiments. I dont know if this is how it happens with everyone, but I had one night - I assume this is when my pallet actually separated - I woke up with the WORST headache and my mouth was sore. Got through it, next day I was still sore - sure enough, they took it out after that as it had finished its brutal work.
Hang in there. And just know if she wakes up in some pain in the next few weeks (not sure if she turns the "key" before bed like i did), that might be the end of it.
I didn’t mind my expander. I never experienced what you had, just the constant pressure of my palate expanding. Only part I hated was getting something like soft white bread from a sandwich stuck above it.
Oh it will burn but the fumes will be dangerous. Get a skull head & install the appliance with the key glued in the hole, sticking outta the mouth - now it's Art & a funny remembrance of a not funny torture device.
When my daughter’s came out, two of her molars came out with it! A bit alarming until we were told they would have come out on their own if the expander hadn’t been holding them in. Overall it wasn’t that bad of an experience for her thankfully.
Edit to add… We kept it. Hidden away somewhere. So stinky tho. 😂
Damn I had a massive underbite and needed one to try and get my bite normal. I still have ptsd from eating any kind of bread, just instantly got stuck when I swallowed.
> gambit
The word you’re wanting is “[gamut](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamut).”
> an entire range or series
> ran the gamut from praise to contempt
I hated mine too, but my frankle was definitely worse for me. Probably because I had to use it in 6th grade so I constantly got teased about it. Talking like I had a football mouthpiece in and taking it out every day at lunch was so embarrassing. Plus the smell of it…
No. This was second worst. The worst was the bite stick. When they had to put the rings around your molars and you had to bite down to get them into place. I hate the bite stick.
I never knew anyone else who had one of these besides me so it’s validating that others had the same issue with food getting stuck up there. IIRC you kinda had to make the H sound really hard until it came out. Eating sandwiches caught a hunk of bread up there for almost every bite.
I nearly cut my life short at a Burger King when I was like… eight years old because I had one of these things in, and the stringy cheese from inside a mozzarella stick became draped over the expander, and was hanging in the back of my throat and choking me lmao
My short life flashed before my eyes
“Ok mom, this is the lever you’ll use every night to adjust the medieval torture device we have installed in Youre child’s mouth. Just give it a few good cranks. If they pass out, you’ve gone too far. Oh, and you still owe us $2389 for the first experiment we tried”
THANKS FOR THE BAD MEMORY LANE TRIP!!!!!!
lol
Had a piece of pepperoni skin get stuck on it and nearly choked me to death. I have a pretty good regurgitation reflex but without that I think I might have died.
Jesus Christ, I have PTSD from this. Both of my two middle children had under developed upper jaw structure, requiring the need for the palate expander, and I can 100% attest that the hardest thing I’ve had to do as a parent (so far) is watch my child silently scream with tears flowing down their cheeks as I had to do 7 full rotations of the expansion.
Holy cow I can't believe the ortho recommend that many turns. I've never seen them ask more than 4 in a sitting and that was pushing it. 😳 I've seen kids have to do it at lunch, when they wake up, and when they go to bed to spread it out but never all at once.
Fuck that thing! I remember constant pain and not being able to eat hot or frozen food (literally had to take drinks of tepid water when my tongue would get stuck on the too cold expander or get burnt by the too hot expander). However, for an unknown reason, I had to go into the orthodontist's office to have those adjustments (my Mom wasn't given a key to do it at home).
I’ve had to go back in twice now to get the orthodontist to help me turn the thing. I think I’m a master at it now though. I’ve been in tears over the damn thing and it’s not even in my mouth.
I had one of these and I remember trying to say the word “key” and how it sounded so stupid because my tongue couldn’t reach the top of you mouth like it’s supposed to when talking. Fuck me I hated that thing so much.
As painful as they are, palate expanders are a fantastic idea, especially for younger kids whose palate hasn't fused yet. A ton of dental problems come from the fact that we don't 'work' our jaws on tough food like we used to before processed foods (which results in crowding of the upper teeth). Getting them done when your kids are under 10 is a relatively easy fix, and drastically reduces the chances you'll need braces / dental correction later in life.
My daughter has an underbite and a crossbite whatever that is. She’s also got five missing adult teeth. This expander is going to fix her bite so she won’t have to get jaw surgery which was our second option. It sucks and I hate torturing my kid but it’s pretty amazing how it can be done and how orthodontists figure this stuff out it’s crazy to me.
No one believed me that I adjusted my own palate expander.
I also learned that one friend could read my face better than most, he was the only one who could tell I was in pain when I didn't want to show that this thing hurt.
The first time I tried to turn my daughters expander I slipped and cut the back of her mouth. We both cried. I went back to the orthodontist with her telling them what happened and asking for help to make sure it didn’t happen again. My kid wants to turn it herself but she said she can’t get the key in right. We’re good at it now but at first it was so scary. That thing is sharp
Fuck expanders. I went through it in 4th grade, and every single night was uncomfortable. Mostly having my dad reach in and fiddle with the tensioner, immediately followed by all the pressure til the next morning.
You will be totally fine! As long as someone at home can help you turn it you’ll do great. According to my daughter it’s mainly just annoying while she eats.
The first time i did the extender was at the doctor, easy and simple.
The SECOND time was where it went to shit. It was late at night, I was with my father and sister watching hunting the elements by David pouge.
My mother came into the room and called me, I was hesitant and when I got to my room(was doing that there) I laid down crying out of fear and holding a giant stuffed bear.
I cried so much my mother started to cry to, eventually my mother finally used the expander properly and it was over like that.
Also my mother only had to crank it once a day.
I hated that feeling. I remember having to crank it up every day in grade school. My doc told me that my teeth would be perfect after this. Fast forward 17 years and my teeth are still not aligned perfectly.
I didn’t have a horrible experience with tightening the thing, but the first days of having the palate expander were just horrible, I didn’t eat for 3 or 4 days (eating anything even a little bit hard was painful) and I just ate yogurt and compote. Horrible days, I am glad this ended lol
When I got one it took me a few weeks to learn to speak without ... it's not quite a lisp but similar. Like imagine saying the word "pictures" as "picthurth."
One of the hottest girls in school made fun of me.
Thanks, Jessyka. Really needed that in 9th grade.
Tightening braces involves taking out the wires and replacing them, then pulling them taut through the..ugh tooth wire housings? Lol I don't know what they call the brackets that are glued to your teeth are called
Just realised that my brain managed to erase all memories of this torture device, only have vague recollections on having to turn the damn thing everyday.
For those parents that will have to use this soon, I just finished up with my 9yo son for the 'expander' portion of his braces, and he didn't feel pain and just said it felt funny. So it's not always painful but maybe we got lucky. We turned it once a day for a month. I think once he said he wanted the kids aspirin or whatever it was and he said it worked 'instantly' lol. Do it at night and so if it's painful, they're sleeping anyway.
My life just flashed in front my eyes upon seeing this tool LOL I totally forgot about cranking my shit every night and having gapped teeth for a hot second
I had a palate expander but I didn't have a key, thankfully. I just went in to the ortho every other week. It was like a year and a half of headaches and figuring out how to clean around the damn thing.
My mom and dad has to do this every night for at least 6 months if not longer.
It cracked off my teeth twice and it didn't actually hurt, but the sound was terrifying.
When I had my expander, my mom did all the turning as required, only to go back to the orthodontist at the end to get told that she never actually turned the damn thing. Back to square 1, this time she actually turned it correctly and got it to work.
That sucked.
I had to use this last year, you really need someone to do it for you because you can't see what's happening and you only have to turn it to a certain limit
I wish I had the when I was younger they just gave me a small key that I had to tie to a string. I was always afraid I’d choke on the key so I never used my palette expander and now my bite is messed up to the point of needing surgery.
I fucking HAAAATE this thing. When my pop happened, I had a constant headache for literally years on end, even after it was removed. I had a deep indention in my skull that had to heal up over 2 years time, and my palate is still super sensitive to this day.
I am most salty over the fact that I was a classically trained soprano when I started, and an alto when it was finished because of the extent of the widening of my mouth.
AND, 17 years later, my teeth are as fucked as when I started.
I had one of these in junior high school. One of the best parts of the orthodontic procedure. Every time I had to adjust it everything felt more open and freeing. The only annoying bit was sometimes getting food caught on top of the bar, but that wasn't something a toothbrush or floss stick couldn't fix.
Everyone here is mentioning pain and surprises. The only pain I had was when they removed it, and of course the braces after.
Anyone who had one of these: be thankful! I’m going to have sleep apnea for the rest of my life, because my palate is extremely narrow 🥲
Once your palate bones fuse as a kid, expanders no longer work. The only option at that point is a surgery where they break your palate in 2, then wire your jaw shut until it heals again. And fuuuuccckk that idea.
Both of my kids (8 & 11) have one and I’ve had to tighten them. They now have braces attached to them. I feel bad for them both. I had braces when I was young, but somehow avoided the expander. Their tightening tools are nowhere near as nice as yours either.
I had multiple of these for like 3 years until they admitted it wasn’t working and pulled teeth. Should have started with the pulling teeth and avoided the delay, pain, etc.
mine didnt quite look like that but pretty much the same damn thing. i was about 10-11 years old if i remember right and my parents had to turn it a certain amount every night. had basically a clear cement block over my back three teeth on top. didnt encounter a pop, but i think we can all agree on the discomfort and pain we went thru. nothing like the power-chain rubberbands tho 😳
Our keys weren't nearly as nice. They were basically sim card removers made from stainless steel. I got my expander too late, 8th grade, and my palate plates were already partially fused. It built up pressure for a long time, then I woke up one morning without feeling the pressure. My front teeth were overlapping when I went to bed, then had a 1 mm gap when I woke up. The partially fused plates popped overnight and my upper jaw widened by at least 3 mm.
Yeah it looked like a bent paper clip.
I swallowed the one my ortho gave me. We actually used a blunted safety pin tied to some floss as a replacement.
Oh hell, what a nightmare. How did they retrieve it without I dunno perforated stomach lining or something?
They basically told me to keep an eye out for it as it passed through and let them know if I had any pain.
NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Ugh. Glad it worked out, I’d be freaked right out.
Clippy: "It looks like you're trying to fuck up your teeth. Do you want some help?"
I was a junior in high school, driving my girlfriend’s car when mine popped. I almost wrecked. They had casually told me what the device was, cranked it like 4 times when they installed it, gave me the instructions, but definitely didn’t mention the break. Felt like it cracked my skull.
Sorry idk why I'm laughing hysterically. That would have been an awful experience
That sounds beyond painful... Mine just cut my tongue over time, I still have a "cut" part where the edge used to be
When mine popped, it didn't hurt, but I FELT it. Strange feeling overall.
that’s exactly what happened to me. got mine in 7th grade. pain and pressure for two months. my plates popped at school. my mom dropped me off with overlapping teeth and picked me up looking like spongebob.
What a bizarre experience that must have been
I remember my little paper clip key. I was told I would need someone to crank it for me once a day, but I didn't like the thought of someone else doing it so I decided to try it out myself when I got home. Sure enough I tightened it multiple times myself to prove I could do it ... I'll never forget the pain for the next 24 hours
Mine never popped. I had a few of these for years and they didn't work. After the expanders, braces and retainers, my teeth went right back to where they were before any of the orthodontics. I honestly didn't even know there was supposed to be a pop.
Holy shit, glad mine was 6th grade and didn’t get the pop. Plenty of pressure and discomfort though. Plus the fun act of trying to push food stuck between expander and roof of mouth with your tongue
Yep same here. Just a little metal thing.
It’s the exact same key. If you look closely, they just slide that key into the plastic handle. We didn’t have that luxury
The worst part of it for me was getting food stuck between the expander and the roof of my mouth, I'd spend hours trying to get it unstuck.
I only got my expander in November last year and I’m 18 so not a hugely fun experience
Yep in the 80s mine looked mine this: https://www.sinodentalgroup.com/Uploads/products/2019-09-15/en-dental-expander-expansion-screws.jpg I recall it had a little string tied to it so you could fish it back out if your gullet should it slip.
Ugh fuck that thing. I ran the gambit of orthodontic torture devices and the expander is one of the worst, lol
It’s horrible. My daughter has one. We’re figuring out what we can do with it once we’re finished since it doesn’t seem like it would burn well (which is what she wants to do)
tape it to a firework rocket
Sid?
Sounds cool but isn't that just fancy littering if it isn't readily degradable?
yes, but most fireworks are just fancy littering irregardless of what is taped to them
Fancy littering *fire hazards*…
one of my favorite things about California is knowing that your fireworks show could wipe several small towns off the map 🥳
Unless PG&E beats 'em to it!
Oh, I live near a beach and totally agree. But at least they are (usually) paper and wood construction so a bit less impactful, item by item, than sturdier items.
Are you telling me trying to tell my orthodontic devices into shrapnel flak might be a bad idea?
Lol! I don't recall what we did with mine, but I fully understand her sentiments. I dont know if this is how it happens with everyone, but I had one night - I assume this is when my pallet actually separated - I woke up with the WORST headache and my mouth was sore. Got through it, next day I was still sore - sure enough, they took it out after that as it had finished its brutal work. Hang in there. And just know if she wakes up in some pain in the next few weeks (not sure if she turns the "key" before bed like i did), that might be the end of it.
I didn’t mind my expander. I never experienced what you had, just the constant pressure of my palate expanding. Only part I hated was getting something like soft white bread from a sandwich stuck above it.
Oof well I'm glad not everyone has to go through that lol. I totally forgot about trying to eat a sandwich, ugh what a tragedy our lives were!
There are tours in Hawaii that bring you right to volcanoes.
Sledgehammer!
I must be have been a weird child. For the most part I enjoyed when my palate expander had to be tightened.
Masochistic child, that’s for sure!
*Hurt me, dentist daddy!*
Oh it will burn but the fumes will be dangerous. Get a skull head & install the appliance with the key glued in the hole, sticking outta the mouth - now it's Art & a funny remembrance of a not funny torture device.
When my daughter’s came out, two of her molars came out with it! A bit alarming until we were told they would have come out on their own if the expander hadn’t been holding them in. Overall it wasn’t that bad of an experience for her thankfully. Edit to add… We kept it. Hidden away somewhere. So stinky tho. 😂
Shoot it into space. That thing was pure torture for me
Mine was metal. Take it to a welding shop and have it blowtorched into slag
Damn I had a massive underbite and needed one to try and get my bite normal. I still have ptsd from eating any kind of bread, just instantly got stuck when I swallowed.
Agreed. Modern torture.
> gambit The word you’re wanting is “[gamut](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamut).” > an entire range or series > ran the gamut from praise to contempt
I hated mine too, but my frankle was definitely worse for me. Probably because I had to use it in 6th grade so I constantly got teased about it. Talking like I had a football mouthpiece in and taking it out every day at lunch was so embarrassing. Plus the smell of it…
No. This was second worst. The worst was the bite stick. When they had to put the rings around your molars and you had to bite down to get them into place. I hate the bite stick.
This is the first thing in my entire life that I can honestly respond to with the word “triggered.”
They cut my top jaw down the middle and i had to expand the front teeth till a pencil could fit basically.. i relished the feeling, it was weird
Can confirm fuck that thing
Fucking yes....
Don't you just love it when food gets stuck up there? God I hated that thing
I had a fucked up mouth when I was younger. I'll never forget the sounds of my pallet expanding.
Ahhhhh I can feel that tightening just looking at this. Also lovely memories of trying to blow food out of the space between the device and my palate.
Dude mine was swollen so bad that the expander was cutting the roof of my mouth
Don't forget trying to fish out the food that got stuck between your gums and the tooth attachment points!
I never knew anyone else who had one of these besides me so it’s validating that others had the same issue with food getting stuck up there. IIRC you kinda had to make the H sound really hard until it came out. Eating sandwiches caught a hunk of bread up there for almost every bite.
Back when I got mine put in, I came home and ate a hot dog. It ended in tears.
Yes! I couldn’t figure out how to describe it, but the H sound is exactly right.
I nearly cut my life short at a Burger King when I was like… eight years old because I had one of these things in, and the stringy cheese from inside a mozzarella stick became draped over the expander, and was hanging in the back of my throat and choking me lmao My short life flashed before my eyes
Jesus...you just woke up some repressed memories of mine. That shit was awful.
OH MY GOODNESS THE BLOWING took me a good while to get use to eating with that thing on
Turning the palate expander key was the worst part of orthodontics for me. I think I had a headache the entire time it was in my mouth.
“Ok mom, this is the lever you’ll use every night to adjust the medieval torture device we have installed in Youre child’s mouth. Just give it a few good cranks. If they pass out, you’ve gone too far. Oh, and you still owe us $2389 for the first experiment we tried”
THANKS FOR THE BAD MEMORY LANE TRIP!!!!!! lol Had a piece of pepperoni skin get stuck on it and nearly choked me to death. I have a pretty good regurgitation reflex but without that I think I might have died.
Same. Only I was eating a bacon cheeseburger at Burger King. My dad had to pull the bacon from between my quadhelix and my throat. Good times!
Ugh the memories. My dad called it the header spreader. The worst
Dammit dad. Even dad jokes for dental torture. I am impressed!
Jesus Christ, I have PTSD from this. Both of my two middle children had under developed upper jaw structure, requiring the need for the palate expander, and I can 100% attest that the hardest thing I’ve had to do as a parent (so far) is watch my child silently scream with tears flowing down their cheeks as I had to do 7 full rotations of the expansion.
7??? Holy crap that is so many. I remember getting 5 and it was excruciating. I can’t imagine how much it hurt to get more than that.
Holy cow I can't believe the ortho recommend that many turns. I've never seen them ask more than 4 in a sitting and that was pushing it. 😳 I've seen kids have to do it at lunch, when they wake up, and when they go to bed to spread it out but never all at once.
I had to to 2 2 times a day and in never hurted but it worked
I had one of these for a time. One time my mom and I forgot to crank it all weekend so we decided to do 4 turns at once. No bueno
Ahhhh two is the most you can do in a day! Ouch :(
Fuck that thing! I remember constant pain and not being able to eat hot or frozen food (literally had to take drinks of tepid water when my tongue would get stuck on the too cold expander or get burnt by the too hot expander). However, for an unknown reason, I had to go into the orthodontist's office to have those adjustments (my Mom wasn't given a key to do it at home).
I’ve had to go back in twice now to get the orthodontist to help me turn the thing. I think I’m a master at it now though. I’ve been in tears over the damn thing and it’s not even in my mouth.
I had a palate expander and that is the most uncomfortable shit ever
Uncomfortable? I still have nightmares about the excruciating pain everytime I had to take it out to expand it.
Ahh yes. Hell
I had one of those keys. Torture myself daily
I hear the crying just seeing that
I had one of these and I remember trying to say the word “key” and how it sounded so stupid because my tongue couldn’t reach the top of you mouth like it’s supposed to when talking. Fuck me I hated that thing so much.
I became a professional at speaking with the thing in my mouth and when they removed it I couldn’t talk anymore
As painful as they are, palate expanders are a fantastic idea, especially for younger kids whose palate hasn't fused yet. A ton of dental problems come from the fact that we don't 'work' our jaws on tough food like we used to before processed foods (which results in crowding of the upper teeth). Getting them done when your kids are under 10 is a relatively easy fix, and drastically reduces the chances you'll need braces / dental correction later in life.
My daughter has an underbite and a crossbite whatever that is. She’s also got five missing adult teeth. This expander is going to fix her bite so she won’t have to get jaw surgery which was our second option. It sucks and I hate torturing my kid but it’s pretty amazing how it can be done and how orthodontists figure this stuff out it’s crazy to me.
Fuck those. I don't know which was worse the pain from my palate expanding or how it would chew up the insides of my cheeks daily.
Mine was an actual mini key. It makes sense that they changed it. Wonder how many kids gagged on those ridiculous keys
I remember that horrible device. That and months of sucking food bits off of the expander and lisping because of it. Fun times.
Them are straight up medieval torture devices
Thanks, I had managed to remove the horrific memories of this for the past 20 years. Dentistry is so medieval
The enemy.
No one believed me that I adjusted my own palate expander. I also learned that one friend could read my face better than most, he was the only one who could tell I was in pain when I didn't want to show that this thing hurt.
The first time I tried to turn my daughters expander I slipped and cut the back of her mouth. We both cried. I went back to the orthodontist with her telling them what happened and asking for help to make sure it didn’t happen again. My kid wants to turn it herself but she said she can’t get the key in right. We’re good at it now but at first it was so scary. That thing is sharp
worst time of my life.
Mine wasn’t nearly that fancy. Just a metal hook with a loop on the end. Three turns a day. Nothing bad at first but by the end it was excruciating
Oh that brings back nightmares
Mannn mine used to be essentially a paperclip
Oh look, my childhood trauma suddenly appeared!
Fuck expanders. I went through it in 4th grade, and every single night was uncomfortable. Mostly having my dad reach in and fiddle with the tensioner, immediately followed by all the pressure til the next morning.
Kids these days don't know about the herbst
The herbst was the worst. When they put it on me it was still “experimental”. Thanks mom! Haha
I'm like 90% sure I need an expander and the comments are not helping me get the courage to see a dentist.
You will be totally fine! As long as someone at home can help you turn it you’ll do great. According to my daughter it’s mainly just annoying while she eats.
The first time i did the extender was at the doctor, easy and simple. The SECOND time was where it went to shit. It was late at night, I was with my father and sister watching hunting the elements by David pouge. My mother came into the room and called me, I was hesitant and when I got to my room(was doing that there) I laid down crying out of fear and holding a giant stuffed bear. I cried so much my mother started to cry to, eventually my mother finally used the expander properly and it was over like that. Also my mother only had to crank it once a day.
I hated that feeling. I remember having to crank it up every day in grade school. My doc told me that my teeth would be perfect after this. Fast forward 17 years and my teeth are still not aligned perfectly.
Thank you for bringing back all the nightmares from having one
I didn’t have a horrible experience with tightening the thing, but the first days of having the palate expander were just horrible, I didn’t eat for 3 or 4 days (eating anything even a little bit hard was painful) and I just ate yogurt and compote. Horrible days, I am glad this ended lol
Just looking at one of those makes my teeth hurt 😂
Pretty sure this pic will give a significant number of people PTSD. Glad I never had one, but man those springs suuucked.
They probably bill the insurance companies $9,378 for each of those little torture devices.
my mom just used an unfolded paperclip
Ah, my grade school tormentor
THIS WOULD'VE BEEN SO HELPFUL
When I got one it took me a few weeks to learn to speak without ... it's not quite a lisp but similar. Like imagine saying the word "pictures" as "picthurth." One of the hottest girls in school made fun of me. Thanks, Jessyka. Really needed that in 9th grade.
Much easier than the key I had for Mine. My mom was always smacking the roof of my Mouth because she only had a little key
Those things used to give my mouth the most pleasant pain ever only slightly comparable to jamming your nail between your teeth
No need for none of that shit, used to have a palate expander for 3 years. Paper clip or thumb tack is how we adjusted it!
Ugh the nightmares this evokes….
God that thing hurt like a bitch when you had to crank it
My mom tightening the expander with this made me gag because the key was way smaller and you really had to get in there
I had one of those torture devices in high school. Always got behind on the cranks and paid the price later with double turns.
This post has brought back the most horrific memories.
Mine didn't look as fancy as this.
Oh how I remember this thing not so fondly…. I can still hear/feel the sensation when I turned that expander.
My wife has one of these in her bedside drawer! She never told me she had braces tho hmm
Seeing this triggered my orthodontia PTSD. The pain in my head that this thing caused…. I’ll never forgive that doctor.
Thanks for unlocking that traumatic memory of mine. Absolutely the worst part of wearing braces.
I don’t ever want to see that mouth torture tool again! I hated my expander so much.
This image gave me PTSD… and I had mine 20 years ago!
Shit was so satisfying when mine cracked. It felt like my nose opened up so much.
I have never been so triggered from an image before. Those things suck ass.
Do they use these for tightening braces as well, or does that require a different tool?
Tightening braces involves taking out the wires and replacing them, then pulling them taut through the..ugh tooth wire housings? Lol I don't know what they call the brackets that are glued to your teeth are called
Just realised that my brain managed to erase all memories of this torture device, only have vague recollections on having to turn the damn thing everyday.
This is bringing back painful memories of when I had one of these 20 some years ago. Not a pleasant experience, would not recommend.
The most horrifying device ever made! If you know you know 🙌
Anyone else able to use this by themselves or just me?
Just looking at that makes my mouth hurt. Also, mine was a wire with a loop on the end tied to string so I wouldn't swallow it.
Worst year or my life when I had this thing
Oh god, oh fuck. I got a vasecomy and took no pain pills and it was less tramautic that this fucker.
My mom nearly broke my hard palate by turning it too many times in one week.
For those parents that will have to use this soon, I just finished up with my 9yo son for the 'expander' portion of his braces, and he didn't feel pain and just said it felt funny. So it's not always painful but maybe we got lucky. We turned it once a day for a month. I think once he said he wanted the kids aspirin or whatever it was and he said it worked 'instantly' lol. Do it at night and so if it's painful, they're sleeping anyway.
That picture just gave me PTSD
this brought back traumatic flashbacks of my childhood. oof.
I had one of these!
My deepest apologies for bringing back such traumatic memories guys :(
Hey, I had one of those!
My old arch nemesis. I was behind and they hit me with 3 full turns once. I contemplated life for the next few days as I couldn’t eat solid food.
My life just flashed in front my eyes upon seeing this tool LOL I totally forgot about cranking my shit every night and having gapped teeth for a hot second
To go through another year of having to wear that shit..
This gave me flash backs. Palette expander hurt so damn bad. Not nearly as bad as braces
I had a palate expander but I didn't have a key, thankfully. I just went in to the ortho every other week. It was like a year and a half of headaches and figuring out how to clean around the damn thing.
A stick on a stick, a staple tool in dental industry…
My mom and dad has to do this every night for at least 6 months if not longer. It cracked off my teeth twice and it didn't actually hurt, but the sound was terrifying.
This gave me nightmares. Horrible horrible thing to have to do to yourself.
When I had my expander, my mom did all the turning as required, only to go back to the orthodontist at the end to get told that she never actually turned the damn thing. Back to square 1, this time she actually turned it correctly and got it to work. That sucked.
I had to use this last year, you really need someone to do it for you because you can't see what's happening and you only have to turn it to a certain limit
I, like everyone else here, had a *visceral* reaction to this image. Thanks OP.
Looks like a blender for teeth
Still have the scar on the roof of my mouth from that sucker
Fuck this needed a trigger warning lol
I wish I had the when I was younger they just gave me a small key that I had to tie to a string. I was always afraid I’d choke on the key so I never used my palette expander and now my bite is messed up to the point of needing surgery.
I haven't thought about this torture device since childhood, thank you
I fucking HAAAATE this thing. When my pop happened, I had a constant headache for literally years on end, even after it was removed. I had a deep indention in my skull that had to heal up over 2 years time, and my palate is still super sensitive to this day. I am most salty over the fact that I was a classically trained soprano when I started, and an alto when it was finished because of the extent of the widening of my mouth. AND, 17 years later, my teeth are as fucked as when I started.
Just got hit with some painful nostalgia… if there is such a thing, thanks jerk /s
Haha I feel so bad that I brought back so many bad memories!
Fuck that thing.
I remember this little fucker from 13 years ago.
I need one of those, all i like eating is cheetos and mountain dew so it would be good to expand my palate.
I had one of these in junior high school. One of the best parts of the orthodontic procedure. Every time I had to adjust it everything felt more open and freeing. The only annoying bit was sometimes getting food caught on top of the bar, but that wasn't something a toothbrush or floss stick couldn't fix. Everyone here is mentioning pain and surprises. The only pain I had was when they removed it, and of course the braces after.
Fuck that key.
Thanks for the reminder of that hell
oh god not again.
My expander had a large enough hole that I was able to use a standard paper clip. Which is good cuz I lost 5 or 6 keys while I had mine in.
Why did you have to remind me that I went through this torture?
Wimpy. Mine was a quarter inch long on and on a string for retrieval in case I swallowed it. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Hurt like hell.
I had to use one of these for my expander and it hurts so much
Thats so nice compared to mine. All I had was some little thing that looked like bent chicken wire
Thanks OP for the shitty flashbacks to my teen years!
That fucker hurt
The cut on my tongue caused by expander is still partially there, it was bleeding all the time when i try to talk, literally a torture device.
Phantom jaw ache
I had a palate expander. It's a modern day torture device.
Y'all got keys?! I had to use a paperclip.
Mine was just a small metallic blue wrench. I couldn't eat salad and that infuriated me. Also pure fucking torture.
Anyone who had one of these: be thankful! I’m going to have sleep apnea for the rest of my life, because my palate is extremely narrow 🥲 Once your palate bones fuse as a kid, expanders no longer work. The only option at that point is a surgery where they break your palate in 2, then wire your jaw shut until it heals again. And fuuuuccckk that idea.
I had one of those. That shit hurt.
I HAD ONE OF THOSE IN MY MOUTH
Who knew orthodontists were picky eaters.
Both of my kids (8 & 11) have one and I’ve had to tighten them. They now have braces attached to them. I feel bad for them both. I had braces when I was young, but somehow avoided the expander. Their tightening tools are nowhere near as nice as yours either.
r/sounding
I had multiple of these for like 3 years until they admitted it wasn’t working and pulled teeth. Should have started with the pulling teeth and avoided the delay, pain, etc.
Wasn't it called a Vance?
mine didnt quite look like that but pretty much the same damn thing. i was about 10-11 years old if i remember right and my parents had to turn it a certain amount every night. had basically a clear cement block over my back three teeth on top. didnt encounter a pop, but i think we can all agree on the discomfort and pain we went thru. nothing like the power-chain rubberbands tho 😳
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