The following article stores some good news for all patients with cleft palates, as it suggests that invasive jaw-widening surgery is no more necessary. Tarek El-Bialy, an associate professor of dentistry in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta, has created a device that may expand the teeth and jaws gradually without arising need for painful surgery. Updated materials and more accurate adjustments are seemingly added on to this dental device for better stretching constricted upper arch in the mouth of a child with cleft palate.
Some people with cleft palates are probably unable to widen their arches while growing. Such individuals may be recommended to undergo major, corrective jaw-widening surgery as an adult. During this surgery, the upper arch is supposedly cut, widened and then sewn back together. But employment of the newly developed device seemingly diminishes requirement to going through this surgery. Present day devices are possibly placed inside the upper arch for restricting the tongue from resting against teeth. It is known that rest against the teeth is essential for the tongue, as it aids to support that part of the mouth from pressure gained by cheek muscles.
In case the tongue cannot acquire rest against the teeth, it may cause the upper arch to become even more constricted which worsens the situation for people with cleft palate. Furthermore, these devices seem to develop mouth breathing in patients using them further triggering respiratory problems as well as various other dental issues. This new device on the other hand, has to be put on the outside of the teeth in upper arch. Once the upper arch is stretched, dentists can control teeth movement in more efficient manner.