Treatment of Tooth Relapse Using Removable Orthodontics Appliances

Abstract

At present, fixed orthodontic appliances treatment is extensively utilized with excellent outcome. Nevertheless, complications frequently arise following the conclusion of orthodontic treatment, predominanly relapse. Relapse refers to repositioning teeth to their pre-treatment state; its progression is stochastic, thereby rendering relapse possible for each individual. Patients who fail to wear retainers consistently will relapse of the affected teeth after orthodontic treatment. Therefore, this case report details the successful treatment of tooth relapse with a removable orthodontic appliance. A 22-year-old female patient complained of irregular alignment of her lower front teeth. The patient received two years of treatment with fixed orthodontics; however, she ceased using retainers regularly after treatment concluded. An objective examination indicated that the teeth in the upper jaw teeth remain in a well-aligned position; however, the lower jaw exhibited that tooth 32 was mesiolabiotorsiversion, tooth 33 was distolinguotorsiversion, tooth 41 was labioversion, tooth 42 was mesiolinguotorsiversion, with an overjet of 3 mm and an overbite of 2 mm. Afterward, the malposition of the lower jaw teeth was corrected with an expansion plate for a removable orthodontic appliance. Following 20 follow-up treatments over five months, the malposition of the lower jaw teeth has been corrected. As a result, it can be deduced that removable orthodontic appliances continue to be efficacious in rectifying mild malposition caused by dental relapse, thereby obviating patients' need to reapply costly fixed orthodontic appliances.