Journal and Conferences of Dentistry

Conventional methods of reinforcing orthodontic anchorage have several disadvantages, including complicated appliance design and the need for exceptional patient cooperation. Kanomi and Costa et al.   introduced the use of titanium microscrews and miniscrews for orthodontic anchorage. Microscrews are small enough to place in any area of the alveolar bone, easy to implant and remove, and inexpensive.    In addition, orthodontic force application can begin almost immediately after implantation. In particular, microscrews have been shown to produce en masse retraction of the six anterior teeth. So it was decided to use micro-implants to treat a patient having Class 1 bialveolar protrusion where anchorage demands are critical. The patient, a 15-year-old female, had a convex profile and a Class I skeletal pattern with bialveolar protrusion Cephalometric analysis showed an ANB angle of 4°, a mandibular plane angle (FMA) of 20° and facial angle of 88°. Read more>...

The successfully corrected dental malocclusion is usually described as one that is excellent in appearance, excellent in function and stable or permanent in result. These are indeed the objectives that are desirable, but they are in a sense, somewhat intangible at least insofar as the exactness of the evaluation is considered. The phrase form and function reflects a concept of interrelating the shape or attributes of something with its function. In dentistry the phrasemay indicate the entire masticatory system acting as a biomechanical engine forthe reduction of food.  For some clinicians the general principle that becomes operant is form follows function, meaning for examples include the dependant relationship between esthetics and optimum occlusion physical forces and the periodontal ligament arch form and beta function and the controversial relationship between the morphology and function of the disco-muscular apparatus of the human temporomandibular joint. Read more.........

Many terms can be used to describe missing teeth. Anodontia is the complete absence of teeth; Oligodontia or partial anodontia means absence of six or more teeth; hypodontia denotes missing teeth, but usually less than six and often the size and shape of remaining teeth are altered as well, congenitally missing teeth or agenesis is defined as teeth that failed to develop or are not present at birth. Agenesis of any tooth can cause dental asymmetries, alignmentdifficulties, and arch length discrepancies but when the missing tooth is in the anterior region of the maxilla, the discrepancies can be quite noticeable. The maxillary lateral incisor is the second most frequently missing tooth after the mandibular second premolar even though Muller et al. found that maxillary lateral incisors experience the most agenesis (not including third molars). Agenesis of the maxillary lateral incisor is also linked with anomalies and syndromes such as agenesis of other permanent teeth, micro...