Case Study - Narrow Jaw and Crowded Canine Teeth
Two year bone growth and ortho
Case high points
- Two year treatment window
- 13 - 15 year old male with narrow upper jaw
- Traditional metal braces
- Treatment special note: Must be complete prior to high school
Case persona
The patient started as a 13 year old male who wanted straighter teeth, and upper jaw crowding was preventing normal alignment. Treatment options were limited to strategic space creating extractions, or expansion treatment. To add further nuance to the case, the patient requested that treatment be completed prior to starting high school. This created an approximate two year window to build expansion and optimal alignment. Invisalign could have been used for a 12 month alignment strategy, but given the patient’s active lifestyle, it was determined that metal braces would ensure 24 hour per day straightening and keep the treatment on schedule.
Additional analysis
The patient was also experiencing bottom row crowding. Strategic extractions could technically have solved the crowding issues, but expansion allowed the patient to retain all of his natural teeth and is ultimately in the best interest of his long term oral health. Expansion also produces aesthetic improvements to jaw alignment and creates a more pronounced and proportional jawline and profile.
Treatment completed on time
Expansion and ortho was treated on time prior to the student’s first day of high school. It’s rewarding to produce life enhancing results for a patient, and to meet a deadline that provides some level of social confidence, and the fact that the treatment was completed with great results on time is a strong endorsement for the power of modern orthodontic strategies.
Completed in a digitally native orthodontic environment
We continuously work to advance the sophistication of the orthodontic care that we provide. This case was completed using techniques that were digitally native: all diagnostic tools and strategies from 3d xrays to intraoral scanning were fully digital. What this means for practitioners and patients is greater comfort, and more visibility into the treatment process, ultimately providing a workflow that allows for sophisticated treatment planning and management.