Early treatment of anterior open bite with functional orthopedic appliances. A case report

Abstract

Anterior open bites are characterized by altered occlusal relationships. They cause discrepancies at the jaws that trigger a parafunctional muscular imbalance throughout the stomatognathic system.When this alteration is intervened early,  again of normal functions can be achieved but also intervention causes facial changes that improve the aesthetics of the patient. It is important to take into consideration the complexity and the multifactorial etiology of anterior open bites to achieve their correction and long-term clinical stability. Different therapeutic approaches have been described for the treatment of anterior open bites including: orthodontics, functional orthopedics and even surgical interventions. Here We present a clinical case of a seven-year-old male patient who consulted for orthopedic treatment of an anterior open bite. Clinical findings determined a Class II cephalometric malocclusion with anterior skeletal open bite, oral respiratory pattern and atypical swallowing. Orthopedic treatment was done using Simoes Network 2 (SN2) functional appliances. At the first year of follow-up facial and intraoral clinical changes were noted. During the second year of follow-up radiographic changes showed improvement in craniofacial and functional relationships.