Our country has witnessed a rapidly growing interest in malocclusion and an associated increase in demand for orthodontic treatment over the recent decade. With the spread of orthodontic treatment, there has also been an increasing awareness of the need and importance of adult orthodontic treatment.
In adult orthodontics, while lacking in the difficult biological elements that are encountered during orthodontic treatment of growing patients such as growth and developement of the jaws, many different factors must be considered such as harmony with the temporomandibular joints, periodontal conditions, treatment times, stability of treatment results and esthetics. Consequently, orthodontists are often faced with various restrictions and compromises on diagnostic methods, treatment procedures and orthodontic appliances. Higher levels of expertise, diagnostic ability and treatment skill are therefore indispensable for safe reliable adult orthodontic treatment.
In addition to conventional orthodontic analysis and diagnosis, the authors incorporated occlusal diagnosis as part of adult orthodontics by reevaluating mandibular position, occlusal relationship between the maxillary and mandibular teeth, occlusal interferences, etc. during orthodontic treatment. This paper will present an adult orthodontic case with a Class II, Division 1 malocclusion and a deep over-bite successfully treated using lingual and labial appliances in the maxillary and mandibular arches, respectively.
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