Rapid Maxillary Expansion: General Considerations and Clinical Application. Part II

Leopoldino CAPELOZZA FILHO, Omar Gabriel da SILVA FILHO

Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) has become one of the most studied subjects in Orthodontics ever since its first reports, dated more than one hundred years ago. This article, divided in parts I and II, is based on solid references directly related to the subject, and reflects the philosophy of diagnosis and treatment defended by the authors for the correction of the upper dental arch constriction. The appliance used is the same indicated by Haas, which has a maximum anchorage. The second part of the article analyzes the orthopedic and orthodontic effects induced by RME, whose inversely proportional magnitudes are determined by the structural resistance of the facial bones and the cranial base. This means that it is more difficult to obtain an evident orthopedic effect in adult patients, who are no longer growing. The text also suggests the possibility of performing RME in adult patients until thirty years of age, following a protocol of slower activations after the separation of the mid-palatal suture, having in mind that the real amount of orthopedic expansion in these cases is smaller. It is also commented that this procedure in adults may sometimes need surgical assistance.

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