Hard and soft tissue augmentation in a postorthodontic patient: a case report.

A combination of hard and soft tissue grafting is used to augment a thin biotype. A 26-year-old woman with mandibular anterior flaring and Miller Class I and III recessions requested interceptive treatment. Surgery included a full-thickness buccal flap, intramarrow penetrations, bone graft placement, and primary flap closure. Postoperative visits were at 2 and 4 weeks and 2, 3, and 6 months. Stage-two surgery consisted of submerged connective tissue graft placement. Postoperative visits were completed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks and 1 year. Follow-up was completed 3 years after the initial surgery. Interradicular concavities were resolved and gingival biotype was augmented. Soft tissue recession remained at 6 months. Reentry revealed clinical labial plate augmentation; 2 mm was achieved at the lateral incisors and the left central incisor and 3 mm was achieved at the right canine. No bone augmentation was achieved on the left canine and right central incisor. The dehiscence at the right central incisor appeared narrower. Overall, a 2- to 3-mm gain in alveolar bone thickness/height was observed. Two months after stage-two surgery, near complete root coverage was achieved; 1 mm of recession remained on the left central incisor. There was a soft tissue thickness gain of 2 mm without any visual difference in keratinized tissue height. Interradicular concavities were eliminated; the soft tissue was augmented and the gingival biotype was altered. Interdental soft tissue craters remained. One year after connective tissue graft placement, there was near complete root coverage at the left central incisor, which at 2 months experienced residual recession. Interradicular concavities and interdental soft tissue craters were eliminated with soft tissue augmentation, including clinical reestablishment of the mucogingival junction. Clinical stability remained 3 years after the initial surgery, with the patient noting comfort during mastication and routine oral hygiene. A clinical increase in labial plate thickness, in conjunction with soft tissue augmentation, appears to provide for continued stability and decreased potential for future clinical attachment loss.

Changes in upper airway width associated with Class II treatments (headgear vs activator) and different growth patterns.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the upper airways for anteroposterior width against different growth patterns and for alterations during various Class II treatments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cephalograms from three treatment groups (headgear, activator, and bite-jumping appliance) were evaluated by a single investigator at baseline and at the end of orthodontic treatment. Cephalograms were used to determine upper airway width at different levels in the anteroposterior plane. Patients in the headgear group were additionally divided into six subsets on the basis of y-axis values to assess the influence of different growth patterns. RESULTS: Small increases in pharyngeal width were noted at all vertical level segments, both at baseline and during orthodontic treatments. No significant differences in these small increases were noted across various treatment modalities and growth patterns. CONCLUSION: Upper airway changes did not significantly vary with the different treatment modalities investigated in the present study. Nevertheless, reductions in pharyngeal width potentially triggering or exacerbating obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are always possible in the headgear phase.

Fenestrações ósseas em pacientes ortodônticos, identificadas por tomografia computadorizada: relatos de casos / Bone fenestration in orthodontic patient recognized by computer tomography: cases report

Antes da utilização da tomografia computadorizada na Ortodontia, a visualização das fenestrações ósseas ou perdas ósseas só era possível durante as cirurgias periodontais, quando se tinha visão direta do tecido ósseo, ou durante estudos anatômicos em crânios secos. A tomografia computadorizada, como exame complementar na Ortodontia, tornou possível a visualização com precisão das áreas de fenestração e de integridade óssea, antes de iniciar o tratamento ortodôntico. O conhecimento da quantidade de espessura das corticais ósseas, na maxila e mandibula dos pacientes, é importante no cálculo da quantidade de movimento possível para cada caso. O objetivo deste estudo foi destacar a importância da tomografia computadorizada (TC) na identificação de fenestrações ósseas antes e durante o tratamento ortodôntico, permitindo ao ortodontista esclarecer ao paciente os riscos e limitações que essa condição anatômica impõe ao tratamento ortodôntico. Por meio do relato de três casos clínicos, após revisão prévia da literatura, concluiu-se que: (1) as fenestrações ósseas não guardam relação com a doença periodontal, o trauma ou a doença sistêmica; (2) o diagnóstico definitivo das fenestrações ósseas só pode ser feito por meio da tomografia computadorizada; (3) o tratamento ortodôntico não pode ser apontado como o fator etiológico das fenestrações ósseas; (4) pacientes verticais são mais predispostos à fenestrações ósseas do que pacientes meso e braquifaciais.

Effects of fixed functional appliance treatment on the temporomandibular joint.

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we tested the hypothesis that fixed functional appliance treatment in a group of Class II Division 1 patients with mandibular retrusion changes the condyle position in the glenoid fossa. METHODS: Transverse computed tomography images were taken of the temporomandibular joint region in 60 children with Class II Division 1 malocclusion. Thirty randomly selected patients were treated with a fixed functional orthodontic appliance (Forsus nitinol flat-spring, 3M Unitek Corp, Monrovia, Calif) for 7 months; another 30 patients without treatment were used as controls. Computed tomography images taken at the beginning and end of fixed functional appliance treatment were used for estimating the condyle-glenoid fossa relationship, including the volumes of condyle, glenoid fossa, and anterior and posterior joint spaces. RESULTS: Although the volumes of the condyle and glenoid fossa increased more in the study group than in the control group, the differences were not statistically significant. However, statistically significant differences were found between the groups in the volumes of the anterior and posterior joint spaces (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: When the volumes of the anterior and posterior joint spaces changed, the condyle was more posteriorly positioned in the glenoid fossa in the study group than in the control group.

Apical root resorption comparison between Fränkel and eruption guidance appliances.

INTRODUCTION: The objectives of this study were to compare the amounts of apical root resorption that occur after treatment with 2 removable appliances-the Fränkel function regulator and the eruption guidance appliance (EGA)-in an untreated control group, and to determine the prevalence of root resorption in the maxillary and mandibular incisors and the dental arches. METHODS: After treatment, periapical radiographs were obtained of the maxillary and mandibular incisors with the long-cone paralleling technique from 72 patients divided into 3 groups. Group 1 included 24 patients treated with the Fränkel appliance, group 2 consisted of 24 patients treated with the EGA, and group 3 comprised 24 untreated subjects. Some patients in groups 1 and 2 were also treated with fixed appliances. Subgroups of patients who had used exclusively 1 functional appliance were also formed and evaluated. Root resorption was scored according to the method of Levander and Malmgren. RESULTS: Results of the Kruskal-Wallis tests showed significantly greater resorption in the Fränkel group, the EGA group, and the EGA subgroup in relation to the control group. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the Fränkel and the EGA groups and the subgroups. The amounts of resorption were predominantly small and similar in the experimental groups and the subgroups. The prevalence of resorption for the incisors was greatest for the maxillary central, followed by the maxillary lateral, mandibular central, and mandibular lateral. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that the Fränkel group, the EGA group, and the EGA subgroup had significantly greater resorption than the control group. There was no difference in the amount of resorption between the Fränkel and the EGA groups.

Behavior of partially formed roots of teeth submitted to orthodontic movement.

The occurrence of root resorption in orthodontically treated permanent incisors with partially formed roots was investigated using periapical radiographs taken before and after the orthodontic leveling in the mixed dentition. The mean age at the beginning of treatment was 9 years and the mean treatment time was 7.1 months. The findings showed that the orthodontic movement during root formation causes no root resorption. The longitudinal follow-up showed that incompletely formed roots developed normally.

Nivelamento 4 x 2: uma conduta ética / 4 x 2 levelling: an ethic conduct

A ortodontia nas últimas décadas tem contribuído para uma aplicação, cada vez maior, de métodos ortodônticos interceptativos a fim de atuar na maloclusão em desenvolvimento, impedindo o seu agravamento. Com o crescimento do número de profissionais na área, esta interceptação muitas vezes tem sido realizada sem o menor critério de avaliação das necessidades do paciente em questão, causando prejuízos irreversíveis ao complexo bucal. Este trabalho apresenta quatro casos clínicos, sendo três sucessos e um insucesso tendo como proposta alertar os profissionais para os danos que a interceptação realizada sem critério pode provocar, com ênfase ao aparelho 4 x 2. Muitas vezes, o profissional não aguarda a época oportuna para realizar tal tratamento, levando a danos irreparáveis como reabsorções radiculares, impactações dentárias e anquilose dentária. O nivelamento 4 x 2 como terapia interceptativa revela uma excelente opção para minimizar ou mesmo eliminar tratamentos complexos no futuro, entretanto, deve ser planejado e executado com critério científico apurado. Portanto, devemos avaliar previamente a terapia aplicada, a idade dentária de aplicação e o real custo x benefício que iremos proporcionar ao nosso pequeno paciente