ORTHOBITES Snodgrass Appliance Can Correct Two Ortho Problems: Save Treatment Time & Lab Costs By David W. Jackson, DDS, FAGD, IBO I would like to present to you an 8-year-old Caucasian female with the following dental issues: Upon initial examination in January 2010, I noted and explained to the parents her right first molars were in a dental Class II. But that due to early tooth loss of her upper primary left canine, her left upper posterior teeth had drifted mesially creating a Class II molar. In addition, her upper left first molar was in a crossbite. Her arches, per Sim Analysis, need very little expansion with the exception of her upper left molar (Figs. 1,2). After explaining to her parents my desire for and the importance of correcting the crossbite in addition to correcting the left molar occlusion, my treatment plan was interceptive in nature and involved employ-ing pre-fabricated utility arch wires (Ortho Organizers) to create straight anterior teeth and a Snodgrass appli-ance to expand the maxilla correcting the crossbite as well as correcting the molar relationship. I began by placing the utility arch wires and the Snodgrass appliance in February 2010 (Figs. 3-5). The Snodgrass appliance is a combination fixed-functional appliance, designed by my friend and colleague, Dr. David Snodgrass, a brilliant pediatric dentist in Hermitage, TN. It combines the Rapid Palatal Expander (RPE) appliance and the Hilger’s appliance into one. If you look closely at Fig. 5, you will see the appliance and its components. It has the Hyrax screw to expand the maxilla to correct the crossbite and the Hilger’s component of the pre-acti-12 September/October 2012 JAOS
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society September-October 2012: Page 12
