MARPE treatment in Dubai

Before anything is decided

MARPE begins with imaging, not with an appliance. The mid-palatal suture is assessed on CBCT for its stage of maturation, and palatal bone is measured at the intended miniscrew sites. Age is a poor guide: some patients in their thirties have a suture that will separate, and some eighteen-year-olds do not.

If the imaging shows that a non-surgical approach is unlikely to work, you are told that, and surgically-assisted expansion is discussed as the appropriate route rather than attempted as a fallback after a failed expansion.

The appliance

The expander is designed to your own palatal anatomy from the digital scan and CBCT, with the screw positions planned into the design rather than chosen at the chair. The body of the appliance carries the expansion screw and is anchored by temporary miniscrews placed into the palate, so that force is transmitted to bone rather than through the teeth.

The sequence

1. Records

   Clinical examination, digital intraoral scan, photographs and CBCT. This visit produces the information the plan is built from.

2. Design and manufacture

   The appliance is designed to your anatomy and manufactured. There is a wait between records and fitting.

3. Fitting

   The appliance is seated and the miniscrews placed under local anaesthetic. You are shown how to activate it and how to clean around it.

4. Activation

   You turn the screw at home on a defined schedule. A gap usually opens between the upper front teeth — this indicates the two halves of the maxilla are separating, and is closed later. Progress is reviewed frequently in this phase.

5. Consolidation

   Once the target width is reached, the appliance stays passively in place for a period of months while new bone forms and matures in the suture. This phase is not optional and cannot be rushed.

6. Onward treatment

   Expansion creates skeletal width; aligning the teeth within the new arch form is a separate orthodontic phase, followed by retention.

Living with the appliance

• Expect pressure after each activation, often felt across the nose and cheekbones, lasting a short period.
• Speech is affected for the first days and adapts.
• Cleaning around the appliance and miniscrews matters — a water flosser or syringe is often the practical solution.
• Avoid hard and sticky food that could distort or unseat the appliance.
• Report a loose screw, persistent pain, or a screw that will not turn, rather than waiting for the next appointment.

Risks and limitations

• Not every adult is a candidate — a fused suture may require a surgical approach.
• The suture may fail to separate despite favourable imaging, in which case the plan changes.
• Miniscrews can loosen and occasionally need repositioning.
• Gum irritation, ulceration and discomfort during activation.
• Relapse if the consolidation and retention phases are cut short.
• Radiation exposure from CBCT, justified individually.
• MARPE does not treat or cure obstructive sleep apnoea, and its effect on nasal breathing varies between individuals and cannot be promised.

• MARPE overview
• Custom miniscrew MARPE
• MSE
• Narrow upper jaw
• MARPE cases
• Book a MARPE assessment

Frequently asked questions

Page last reviewed: 2026-09-10. This page is general health information about orthodontic care and is not a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a substitute for an in-person clinical examination. Suitability for any treatment described here can only be established after a consultation, clinical assessment and the appropriate records. If you have symptoms that concern you, seek advice from a qualified clinician.