Palate Expander at 16? HELP?

Your "small smile" is a very common problem and the reason most people go to an orthodontist in the first place.  Let me explain.  It all starts with a small (underdeveloped) upper jaw.  Then with normal sized upper teeth developing, they just don't have enough room to come in straight.  This leads not only to crowded teeth, but overbites and underbites as well.  If the upper jaw is expanded to ideal the other problems can be corrected (tooth alignment, overbites, underbites etc.)  The problem (challenge) for you is that many orthodontists still believe that surgery is necessary to widen the upper jaw past ages 12-14.  This is old school thinking, but one that is still widely held.  Avoid those practitioners who still believe this.  Note: we all were taught (incorrectly) that the bones of the palate fuse together as a teen when we did our specialty training.  Unfortunately for so many patients treated, this myth still widespread.This expansion can be accomplished at any age with Slow Palatal Expansion (SPE) using a removable treatment appliance (called a Schwarz), and NOT with an RPE cemented into the mouth with orthodontic bands.  Look for an orthodontist who understands this principle and you will get a predictable great result.  Good luck to you.