Clinical Cases in Early Orthodontic Treatment 2022

This atlas was written taking into consideration the most common problems that are frequently encountered in young children. Interceptive treatment is intervening in the developing dentition to allow it to achieve the best occlusion possible, or to make subsequent treatment as simple and short as possible (DiBiase 2002). There is no doubt that early treatment can be justified if it provides additional benefits to the patient. The question of when, how, and why is answered in depth in all the clinical cases contained in this atlas. The goal is to focus on functional and skeletal rather than dental correction. Knowing the diagnosis criteria and which type of cases should be treated early will permit the clinician to offer the most efficient solution for each individual patient. In general, the first phase of treatment in the early mixed dentition has to be followed by the second phase in the permanent dentition. When and how much growth will occur is unpredictable in some patients, but the direction of growth can be managed (Suresh et al. 2015). However, it is important for the clinician to be able to diagnose and intercept certain developing problems through early treatment. Many other cases should be supervised, but not treated until the permanent teeth are in place. We must base our decision on a correct diagnosis taking into account that the correction of functional and skeletal imbalances are fundamental before the eruption of all the permanent teeth.