Dr. Roberts graduated three times from the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a BA in 1972, a DMD degree in 1976, and a Certificate in Orthodontics in 1978. He became Board Certified in 1993 and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. Dr. Roberts was, for eight years, Associate Professor in the Department of Graduate Orthodontics at Temple University School of Dentistry. He has authored and published articles in the orthodontic literature and has lectured internationally for over 30 years. Dr. Roberts is a former President of Mercer Dental Society where he was Program Chairman (10 years) and continues as web site editor.
Dr. de Marsche studied at the undergraduate level at the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University. She graduated from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 1979 and received a Certificate in Orthodontics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1981. She became Board Certified in 1995, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. Dr. de Marsche was Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthodontics at Temple University for ten years. Dr. de Marsche is a former President of Mercer Dental Society and maintains an active involvement in Mercer Dental Society projects and activities.
Roberts & de Marsche Orthodontics offers two locations for your convenience one inCenter City, Philadelphiaand the other inLawrenceville, New Jersey. You will find our offices comfortable, quiet and attentive to your needs
Our Center City office, on the top floor of the Medical Arts Building, is located at the corner of 16th and Walnut Streets (the entrance is on 16th Street). The reception area and our treatment rooms have beautiful views of our city. This is the most geographically central and convenient location in the city, situated two blocks from stops of the Hi-speed line at 16th and Locust Streets and Septa service Suburban Station. For drivers, we recommend street parking, or parking in one of many convenient area parking lots
Many kids are swayed to the idea of an expander once they realize that wearing it can potentially simplify and shorten any other orthodontic treatment in their future. This customized appliance is a gift to orthodontic patients who once thought the unique placement of their teeth could never be corrected.
An expander can look daunting, but its a simple, effective appliance that, once in place, subtly widens the natural suture on the roof of the mouth. This allows permanent teeth to erupt without crowding.
When a childs upper jaw is narrow, this structural issue can look impossible to correct. But the expander stops bad behaviors from continuing (thumbsucking or poor tongue posture), and ceases undesirable growth patterns like a crossbite or overcrowding, forcing the jaw to grow to the appropriate width like magic.
Expanders can work for kids anywhere from age 5 to about 15 or 16. The goal is to put an expander in place once most of the childs adult teeth have come in, but if a few in the upper jaw have yet to appear that works too.
Anchored to the back upper molars, the screws on the expander must be turned daily using a special key. This action widens the expander by a fraction of a millimeter, and though the move is small, it is significant.
You wont forget that youre wearing an expander and there will be an adjustment period but side effects like tongue irritation, excess saliva, difficulty chewing should clear up within a week or so. There will also be mild pressure every time the expander is adjusted.
An expander for the upper jaw is the most common appliance. Lower jaw expanders are also available but instead of moving the jawbone and spreading out how the teeth erupt, it pushes and straightens teeth that lean inward.
Expanders and childhood work together because the two halves of the bone in the roof of a kids mouth already have a natural space. Before these bones fuse, the expander widens the upper jaw quickly and easily. However, expanders can be used as an alternative to jaw surgery for adults its simply a more difficult and intensive treatment once your mouth is done growing.
Though your childs orthodontic expander does the bulk of its work over six weeks, its left in the mouth for closer to six months to ensure that the jaw heals properly and the mouth does not shift back.
Youll know the expander is working when you see a space developing between the upper front teeth. This allows room for your childs teeth to grow without crowding. Later, as part two of expander wear, your child will get dental braces or Invisalign to close any unwanted gaps and straighten all their teeth.
Your orthodontist may opt to place interceptive orthodontics on your childs teeth as their expander settles into place. Capitalizing on the new position of the jaw makes it possible to begin permanent alignment of the teeth long before the teen years and minimize or eliminate the need for full braces during adolescence.