Seven months ago I completed a 31-month course of orthodontics for bite correction as a more permanent solution to grinding my molars than wearing night guards. My dentist had encouraged me for the better part of 10 years to consider this, and when it became financially feasible I decided to proceed. I also hoped in addition to a corrected bite that the aesthetics of my face would improve as well.

Early in my treatment I learned about the benefits of correct tongue posture (albeit not from my orthodontist), and by the time the brackets came off I had been practicing it for a couple of years. I decided to seek out myofunctional therapy not only for the sake of not relying on a retainer for the rest of my life but in hopes that I might gain continued palate expansion and a more forward-shifted maxilla. This second motive became all the more urgent when I realized that moving my top row forward had created a bump behind my upper lip that left me looking like a rat. The extra bulge also makes my naso-labial folds more pronounced, which in turn bring more attention to my nose. I am hoping that with time my palate will continue to expand and shift forward so that my cheekbones become more prominent and in effect, the rest of my face will catch up with my teeth.

(I would also like to address facial asymmetry and atrophying the buccinator muscles, but I will save these for separate threads.)

I have pre/post-braces photos but I can't post them without a scanner. I have completed my MFT and thus far seem to have been able to keep my teeth from crowding back in without the use of a retainer - and if anything on the nights I do wear it, it seems tight at the sides which may indicate that my palate has widened somewhat since no longer being restrained by braces. But without being able to track progress precisely it's hard to tell.

My MF therapist seemed to feel that continued palate expansion does not happen with adults, so I have not asked him about the aesthetic aspect of my situation. Is there any hope that my palate will widen so as to make the "bump" less conspicuous? Is there anything else in addition to mewing, tongue-chewing etc. that would help things along?