The Schwarz appliance is the most commonly used removable appliance, designed for either upper or lower transverse expansion. The acrylic is designed to apply pressure to both the teeth and the palatal tissue during expansion. Acrylic posterior blocks can be added for cases that need to be disarticulated.
Schwarz is a slow expansion appliance without any occlusal pads. It helps in correcting the maxillary transverse and creating space to align incisors and reduce crowding. Expansion is obtained by activating a screw at a rate of 0.025mm once a week.