CASE STUDY Fig. 13 Fig. 14 Fig. 20 Fig. 15 Fig. 16 Fig. 21 Fig. 17 Fig. 18 Fig. 22 Fig. 23 Fig. 24 coiled springs placed a force bilaterally from the molar tubes to the lock nut thus proclining the maxillary anterior teeth and creating space for the blocked out canines. Once room was available for the canines, they were bracketed and moved into place. There was still no room available for the Upper Left 2 and a .012 Niti wire was used to bring the teeth into place and the case was then finished.  Proclining Front Teeth to Make Room for Canines This additional non-extraction case involving proclining front teeth to make room for canines also involved using lock nuts as stops. (Figs. 20-24) Here the coiled springs also placed a force bilaterally from the molar tubes to the lock nuts, proclining the maxillary anterior teeth and creating space for the blocked-out canines. Once room was made for the canines, brackets were placed and moved into place with a .012 Niti Wire. addition, the LL3 was blocked out. The case was started with upper .014 Niti wire and open coiled springs from 2 – 4 to make room for the upper 3’s. Once room had been made by protracting the anterior teeth brackets were placed on the upper left 3 to move it into place. The upper right 3 was exposed by a surgeon and a bracket was bonded to the tooth. This allowed us the space and ability to bring the tooth into the arch. On the lower arch an opened coiled spring was placed from the LL 2 – 4 to create space for the blocked out LL3 as well.  How to Use a Lock Nut as a Stop There are several ways to make a stop. (Figs. 36-41) One can bend a stop in a wire, or use a crimpable stop, or just replace the open coiled spring with a longer one as the space increases.A lock nut just slides on the wire. Every time the patient comes in you just loosen the lock nut and slide it back 2mm to compress the opened coiled spring. This makes for an easy recall appointment to continually procline the anterior teeth forward. Overall, the open coiled spring can be a great asset to your orthodontic treatment. Proclining Front Teeth This case also involved proclining front teeth. (Figs. 25-35) There was no room for the upper canine. In 22 Fall 2023 JAOS
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Fall 2023: Page 22
