Just a question about faster ways of palatal expansion. There is Rapid Palatal Expansion, which is a older/ well-known technique that many people have had done. Maxillary Skeletal Expansion (MSE) is a newer rapid method being discussed on this forum.

I had RPE as a child (10+ years ago) before having conventional braces, and an orthodontist I visited recently said this may have caused some asymmetry long-term. I don't remember exactly what he said, but I believe it was that when expanding relatively quickly, the maxillary suture separates quickly, but since bone cannot grow that quickly, the gap in the suture will fill in unevenly with connective tissue at first, which will cause long-term asymmetry. I have some asymmetry now and I was wondering if the RPE I had 10+ years ago was a cause. Also, there has been much talk about the MSE which also expands the maxilla quickly, so I wonder if this could cause asymmetry by the same logic.

On the other hand, the orthodontist said the ALF would help with my narrow palate and helped fix asymmetry, so it is possible he was only saying the bad effects of RPE to help make the ALF look better. Any input on this? Thanks.