In children, the suture running down the center of the palate is still open, which lets a traditional palatal expander gradually widen the upper jaw using steady pressure from a tooth-anchored appliance. By the late teens or early twenties, that suture has fused — and the same tooth-anchored approach mostly tips and tilts teeth instead of genuinely widening the underlying bone in an adult.

MARPE (Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion) was developed specifically to work around that limitation.

What sets MARPE apart from traditional expansion:

• Anchoring method: MARPE uses 4 to 6 small titanium miniscrews placed into the palatal bone itself, in addition to the standard tooth attachment — transferring force directly to bone rather than relying on teeth alone.
• Result: because the force reaches the fused suture more directly, MARPE can achieve genuine skeletal (bony) expansion in adults, which tooth-borne expanders typically cannot.
• Placement: done in-office, generally well-tolerated, with a short healing period before activation starts.
• Activation: the patient turns the appliance a set amount daily over several weeks, per the treatment plan.

Who tends to be a candidate: adults with a narrow upper jaw, nasal breathing difficulty or mild sleep apnea linked to airway constriction, significant crowding without adequate arch width, or anyone hoping to avoid an extraction-based orthodontic plan. A CBCT scan (3D imaging) beforehand confirms suture fusion pattern and bone thickness, since MARPE isn’t the right fit for every adult skeletal presentation.

What it isn’t: a stand-alone sleep apnea treatment, or a substitute for finishing orthodontic work on the teeth — most patients still need braces or aligners afterward to bring teeth into the newly available space.

Dr. Zitterkopf evaluates adult candidacy for MARPE using 3D imaging and a full bite and airway assessment at our Woodland Park office. If you were told your options were limited because you’d “stopped growing,” it’s worth a second opinion — adult palatal expansion is more available than most people assume. Schedule a consultation to find out where you stand.