VARIABLE ENHANCE TREATMENT OUTCOMES By Ralph Nicassio, DDS and Maria Zavala, RDA TORQUE BRACKETS M Fig. 1 Fig. 2 any clinicians perform-ing orthodontics for their patients are miss-ing an opportunity to get better results because they are using the same standard Roth prescription on the incisor brackets on every case. One example of the limitations using standard Roth brackets is simple alignment of a “blocked-out” tooth. Evidence that the root has not adequately moved forward can be seen when the clinical crown is shorter than the contra-lateral tooth. (Figs. 1, 2) For most patients, impeccable resolution of this problem is their chief complaint regardless of other issues in the case. Resourceful clini-cians typically attempt to solve this with strategies including bonding brackets upside down or arbitrarily angling placement to enhance the labial root torque. (Thomas, 09) (Fig.3) While possibly effective, other compensations are typically required later and it can be chal-lenging to remember which cases these changes were made on. Advances in manufacturing technology have produced super-elastic rectangular Niti wires that can easily and efficiently apply 34 January/February 2013 JAOS
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society January-February 2013: Page 34
