Different Non - Surgical Treatment Modalities for Class III Malocclusion

Class III malocclusions are usually growth-related discrepancies & are associated with deviation in the sagittal relationship of the maxilla and the mandible, characterized by a deficiency and/or a backward position of the maxilla, or by prognathism and/or forward position of the mandible or both. A class III malocclusion is defined by the presence of a class III molar and incisor relationship, which may range from a reduced overjet or edge-to-edge incisor relationship to a frank reversed overjet, the severity typically reflecting the underlying skeletal pattern. Treatment planning in class III cases is notoriously difficult and primarily influenced by the likelihood of future growth , skeletal discrepancy, size of the reverse overjet, extent of crowding, and degree of existing dento-alveolar compensation. An old orthodontic maxim states “the best time to treat a crossbite is the first time it is seen.” Thus, Class III malocclusion should be intercepted and treated at an early stage so as to prevent an orthodontic problem from progressing into severe dento-facial anomaly. So, early treatment of Class III malocclusion has been advocated to reduce the need of treatment in the permanent dentition, when camouflage orthodontic treatment or surgery become the only options. The clinician should determine whether the crossbite is skeletal or dental in origin from the profile analysis, cephalometric readings & intra oral findings. In this paper, the non-surgical orthodontic treatment of three patients with a Class III malocclusion is discussed and the use of compensation mechanics is illustrated. Though a series of treatment approaches can be found in the literature regarding treatment in Class III malocclusion. However, as with other types of malocclusion, there are really three main approaches to the correction of a class III malocclusion, i.e. growth modification, camouflage orthodontic treatment and surgical approach.