Dr. Katie ToThe Wellness Dentist, CEO and Founder of Center for Wellness Dentistry and Wellness Dentist Institute.

Why Your Child's Palate Width Matters More Than You Think

15 Jul 2026 · 2 min

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1:31

In this patient‑education video, Dr. Katie To explains how a narrow palate can restrict airway space, likening it to a small tunnel compared with an open room. She shows side‑by‑side images of a 6‑year‑old patient before and after rapid palatal expansion performed by orthodontist Dr. Barr, highlighting the dramatic increase in arch width. The pre‑expansion view reveals a primary tooth stubbornly retained and adult canines beginning to erupt, while the post‑expansion view displays a wide, healthy arch. Dr. To also points out a crossbite where two adult lower front teeth are trapped on the wrong side of the dental arch, emphasizing that such issues are not merely “baby teeth” problems. She stresses the importance of early screening for palate width and crossbite, and recommends timely referral to an orthodontist for expansion in specific cases, even in young children.

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Let's look at this narrow arch. You can see on this left-hand side, this is compliments of Dr. Barr. He's our orthodontist who does airway for us. Um, a narrow palate reduces the airspace. You can kind of think of a little small room or tunnel. Um, obviously the tunnel is going to have a lot less space than an open area, and you can see the wide versus the narrow arch. This is the same patient. I wanted to make sure you guys know this. After the expansion and correction, uh, we were able to gain a lot. And this patient in the top picture, you can see she's got got a little tooth that's over here. Let's see if I can get my cursor. This is a primary tooth that's basically holding on for dear life and not wanting to leave. And you can see, hey, I need some help here. This is also a primary canine. You can see the adult canines poking through on the outside. And here's the arch, all nice and wide. That is a beautiful way to have this. And then on the right-hand side, you can see this crossbite. A lot of you parents out there, you might be thinking, oh, it's just baby teeth, no big deal. This patient actually has two adult teeth on the lower front and she has a crossbite on that left side. Those lower front teeth are trapped on the outside, the wrong side of the road. This is something— this patient is 6 years old— something we definitely— we've already referred her to the orthodontist, Dr. Barr, for expansion. And that is one of the things that we really want to make sure parents know. Even though kids are little, a lot of times it is important to do an early intervention in very specific cases, and we always screen for that too.