Can I extend my arch with a retainer or do I have to have surgery since I'm 32 years old.

Question

I sucked my thumb for 16 years. It has caused the roof of my mouth to push up and narrow in on the sides which leaves not much room at the top of my mouth. Now I talk with a lisp and my teeth has a severe overbite. Can I get that fixed with a separation retainer to push out the sides of my mouth for a wider arch and to create space between my two front teeth and then braces to push them back

Tarsys Loayza, DDS, MSc · Answer

Hello! Thank you for your question. Yes! You can extend your arch with retainer, you do not need a surgery to fixed that.

Brad Lockhart, DDS · Answer

Yes, you can definitely enlarge your dental arches WITHOUT surgery. By faithfully wearing a simple, comfortable, removable dental appliance you can develop your dental arches the way they were intended to grow (before thumb sucking altered that proper growth).Many doctors will tell you that developing dental arches in adults is impossible. However, I (and thousands of other doctors around the world) develop adult dental arches on a daily basis. Good luck!

Can I extend my arch with a retainer or do I have to have surgery since I'm 32 years old.

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