Treatment of a Brodie bite by lower lateral expansion: a case report and fourth year follow-up.

The patient was a 4 year 4 month old boy at the first visit. The chief complaint was chewing dysfunction. The intra-oral and facial films, study casts, cephalometrics, muscle-balance monitor, temporomandibular joint radiographs were analyzed. The patient presented with a Brodie bite or unilateral posterior cross bite. The upper dental arch was wider than other children of his age. The lower dental arch was significantly smaller than the upper dental arch. The lower dental arch was expanded using a Schwarz appliance. The period of treatment was one year and two months. The period of observation was four years and ten months. First the patient underwent chewing training and secondarily then was treated by lateral expansion. After this treatment the patient achieved good occlusion and muscle function, while the morphology and function of the temporomandibular joints were improved, as well.