Sigh. Confused more than ever about orthodontics.

Okay, so DS's pediatric dentist recommended a palate expander because he
said his new teeth coming in were too big and he doesn't have room in his
mouth. He says there's not much time for a palate expander. After age 8,
he stops doing them, it's too late to expand the palate and he just leaves
everything for the orthodontist later. He said they want to prevent the
need for tooth extraction later. My main concern is I see a big, whopping
gap between DS two front teeth. To a layman, it doesn't look crowded at
all.

So, I take him to an orthodontist who happens to be an assistant professor
of orthodontics at a nearby university. This guy says no problem waiting
for the palate expanders. He's more worried about the molars not having
come in. DS is 7 and they should have come in last year. He says there's
not much time, they need to come in in six months or else action will need
to be taken because the roots will become fully developed soon and they will
never come out if they are stuck there fully developed. Funny DS's
pediatric dentist never mentioned a concern there. He says if the molars
don't come out in six months, DS will need surgery to help release them or
maybe pull a baby tooth to let it out. It seems if he needs a tooth pulled,
then maybe he does have crowding? I saw the x-ray and it's hard to explain,
but the molar is coming up straight, it's just a tiny bit under the tooth in
front of it. If the baby tooth gets pulled, he'll need orthodontic work to
help hold the other teeth in position. This orthodontist insists we do not
need palate expanders at this time and we can wait until the four top and
four bottom front teeth are fully in to decide.

Okay, I think if I go get a third opinion, the opinion will depend of if I
go to a pediatric dentist or an orthodontist as they both have a different
focus and financial incentive. There are two different issues that two
different experts say require immediate attention. Anyway, anyone with
experience in this area?