Lingual orthodontics indications being settled for young patients, specificities are to be detailed. Patients’ youth, the lack of evolution of some teeth and growth potential are factors that will influence our prescription.
The purpose of this presentation is to show how we may benefit from CAD/CAM techniques to engineer a performing orthodontic tool and how we may offer lingual orthodontics in our daily practice.
Since three years, we have been offering in our office lingual orthodontics to all our young patients : children or adolescents, in need of orthodontic treatment. Our practice had to be adapted to this young population in function of its specificities.
- the beginning of treatment is sometimes delayed in comparison with buccal orthodontics. Indirect bonding is the rule, therefore all the teeth have to be in place.
- First lower bicuspid have short lingual crown, the design of a customized bracket is utterly important to treat any case.
- Children are statistically more careless with their appliance, bracket loss, especially with the second molar, may be increased. We need to reinforce adhesion in that zone.
- Growing potential allows us to combine lingual fixed appliance and functional devices. The lingual system has been modified to manage such association.
- Time schedule may be quickly overloaded which implies a perfectly managed lingual technique for a chair time cost close to the buccal technique one.
First results allow us to conclude that it is possible to integrate lingual orthodontics as a treatment tool for young patients.