|
|
Before & After: Early Treatment of an Anterior Open Bite
Katie visited the orthodontic office when she was eight years old. She was diagnosed with an age appropriate Class I occlusion in the mixed dentition that is characterized by an anterior open bite due to an associated low-tongue posture, excess overjet, and maxillary incisor spacing. Katie and her family were not happy with the appearance of her teeth due to the excess spacing. From an orthodontic standpoint, the open bite presented a functional problem from a lack of incisal guidance. Also, the low-tongue posture presents a long-term stability problem.
A tongue crib was fabricated to retrain the tongue and allow for bite closure. The photo was taken at five months, after the crib insertion shows 2 mm of overbite. Limited braces were then applied to reduce overjet and incisor spacing. The brackets were removed within six months, keeping the entire treatment to within one year. The result is currently stable. Katie is presently on observation.
|
Before Treatment
With Tongue Crib
After Treatment
|