Our Treatments
Palatal Expansion for Children
The Bent Wire System (BWS) is a specialised orthodontic appliance for arch development in children. It works as a gentle, minimally invasive companion to the Myobrace system, supporting myofunctional correction and proper tongue positioning using light, intermittent forces rather than heavy-force orthodontics.
How the Bent Wire System Works
Light, intermittent forces. The BWS expands the dental arches gradually and gently, an approach chosen to minimise strain on growing roots and the palate.
Discreet by design. Made from flexible, biocompatible stainless steel, it is barely visible from the outside and causes negligible interference with speech.
Holistic by intent. It supports breathing and myofunctional correction at the same time, and allows the molars to settle back into their optimal positions once the wire is removed.
A steady, monthly rhythm. Each expansion phase typically lasts 3 to 4 months, with Dr. Phillip Stein making small adjustments of 1 to 2 millimetres at a short monthly visit. It is worn together with the Myobrace appliance overnight, plus 1 to 2 hours during the day.
How It Works in Our Program
Expansion is only ever prescribed after your child's in-person exam: it's a clinical decision Dr. Phillip Stein makes once he has seen your child, never a checkout option. If it's the right approach, your child joins the expansion track: fitted at our Sydney clinic, adjusted monthly in person, and monitored remotely in between.
Fitted in Person
The expansion appliance is fitted at our Sydney clinic, and only ever after Dr. Phillip Stein has examined your child in person and judged it the right approach.
Monthly Adjustments
A short in-person visit each month keeps the expansion on track. We help you book each visit and send reminders so nothing slips.
Monitored Between Visits
Between clinic visits, photos from home and weekly check-ins let Dr. Phillip Stein follow progress without extra trips.
Habits Still Matter
The myofunctional exercises continue alongside the expansion appliance: it makes room while the exercises work on the habits underneath.
Worth Knowing Before You Start
The expansion track needs a family who can attend a monthly visit in Sydney (around three to four visits on average). For families elsewhere in Australia, Dr. Phillip Stein weighs up whether a different approach fits better, and he'll talk that through with you honestly.
Who It Tends to Suit
Children whose in-person exam shows a narrow upper arch or crowding, where Dr. Phillip Stein judges expansion is the right approach
Often children aged around 9 and up, though it's clinical judgement, not an age rule
Families able to attend a short in-person visit at our Sydney clinic each month
Whether expansion is right for your child is Dr. Phillip Stein's call, made only after examining your child in person, and if it isn't the right fit, he'll tell you that too. Children respond differently and no specific result can be promised.
What to Expect
The first days feel unfamiliar. Because the expansion appliance sits fixed in place, eating and speech can feel a little different at first. Most children adapt quickly, and we're a message away while they do.
It settles into a steady monthly rhythm. One short clinic visit a month, with photos and weekly check-ins from home in between. We help you book each visit and send reminders, so the rhythm looks after itself.
It's one part of the bigger arc. The expansion track sits inside the program's roughly 24-month arc, with the myofunctional exercises continuing alongside it the whole way.
Suitability is decided by Dr. Phillip Stein after your child's in-person exam, and no specific result can be promised.