The lateral cross bite

The palate is narrow and forces the mandible to close in a lateralized position, to the right or to the left. Over time, this situation can lead to asymmetrical growth of the jaw, deflected towards the side of the cross bite.

The treatment involves the use of a palatal expander, which expands the size of the palate. This improves nasal breathing and corrects the growth of facial bones.

Case: The lower midline is deviated to the left due to a mandibular sliding to the side of the cross bite (see the blue triangles). The jaw is forced to grow asymmetrically, towards the left.
After palate expansion, the mandible is centered and the upper and lower midlines are aligned (blue triangles). The jaw can now grow symmetrically.