Open bite case treated with Invisalign

Abstract

Manuela Daian

Anterior open bite (AOB) is defined as the lack of incisal contact between anterior teeth in centric relation. Prevalence in the population ranges from 1.5% to 11.6%. The age factor, however, affects prevalence, since sucking habits decrease and oral function matures with age. At six years old 4.2% present with AOB whereas at age 14 the prevalence decreases to 2%. Anterior open bite is considered to be one of the most difficult treatments. Proper diagnosis and treatment planning, successful treatment, and retention have been stressed for the long-term stability of open bite treatment. There are several factors that could be related to the development of open bite. Among these are an unfavorable mandibular growth pattern, heredity, imbalances between jaw postures, digit-sucking habits, nasopharyngeal airway obstruction, tongue posture and activity and head position. Various treatment modalities have been proposed for the correction of anterior open bites: surgical and nonsurgical. In general, stability is the most important criteria in choosing an acceptable method of treatment for patients with open bite malocclusion. Many previous studies have indicated that if open bite correction is not stable, it is because the tongue continues to be postured anteriorly, which causes the bite to reopen. We will present an adult case treated with Invisalign. The treatment duration was 40 weeks and the anterior open bite was mainly corrected with relative extrusion of the incisors.

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