Dental arch and pharyngeal space changes associated with rapid maxillary expansion

RME is the most routinely used orthopedic procedures in young patients for the correction of transverse maxillary dimensions. It is a skeletal type of expansion that involves the splitting of mid palatal suture and maxillary shelves are moved away from each other. In the present study 5 patients who were treated with RME followed by fixed mechanotherapy were selected. Using pretreatment and post treatment models and cephalograms, the changes in the maxillary arch and airway were assessed. Significant expansion of maxillary arch with positive change in the airway were obtained.