Active expander arms for anterior crossbite resolution

I try to avoid placing anterior brackets during Phase I expansion treatment. If there is an anterior dental crossbite, I will instead add bilateral .028" stainless steel extension arms—sometimes referred to as whip springs—to the palatal side of the maxillary expander. With each turn of the expansion screw, the whip springs push the incisors forward. Once the crossbite is corrected, the whip springs can be sectioned off with a No. 557 bur. This Pearl shows a similar technique using cobalt chrome expansion arms.