Using V-Bendson NiTi wires for non-surgical correction of class III malocclusions

O correction of class III malocclusions in adult and growing adolescent and adult patients has long challenged orthodontists due to the extreme difficulty in disengaging the locked out maxillary teeth without surgery. Currently available treatment modalities include various functional appliances, maxillary protraction and cervical headgears, and reversed twin blocks, for growing prepubertal patients. Although these approaches are successful for this group of patients, nevertheless such clinical triumphs depend totally on patient’s compliance and they have high genetically determined potential for relapse. That is why establishing normal over jet in Class III patients is often onerous with orthodontic therapy alone. On the other hand, orthognathic surgical treatment offers dental, skeletal, and esthetic improvement in deep bite skeletal Class III patients, however; the trauma, high cost, and possibility of growth related relapse of this approach, discourage many patients and their parents from accepting it. With the advent of super elastic wires and the unprecedented ability of Bendistal Pliers place permanent V-bends to activate them, enhanced by the composite build-ups bite raisers, has evolved into a treatment protocol that showed efficiency and effectiveness in incisors intrusion, and the correction of deep overbite patients. Utilizing this particular concept to intrude and disengage the locked out maxillary incisors teeth in class III patients, has demonstrated efficiency in allowing mandibular incisors retraction, and the ultimate correction of this major malocclusion. This lecture introduces a new methodical treatment approach that aimed at simple correction of class III malocclusions without orthognathic surgery, or relying on patient’s cooperation, and presents patients who are successfully treated with this V-Bend technique.