Influence of the expansion screw height on the dental effects of the hyrax expander: a study with finite elements.

Introduction: Our objective was to evaluate the influence of the expansion screw height of a hyrax expander on the degree of dental inclination during rapid maxillary expansion by using the finite element method.

Methods: The hyrax expander and the maxillary arch were modeled by using Solidworks software (Dassault Systèmes, Paris, France). Three distinct finite element method models were created by simulating different screw heights relative to the plane that intersected the center of resistance of the maxillary first molars.