CASE STUDY By Jeffery Gerhardt, DDS Fig. 1 T he Tip-Edge bracket system is unique in that it has diagonally opposed corners removed, which allows a tooth to tip as the bite opens up. The standard bracket slot size of .022 x .028 opens to .028 x .028 as a tooth tips. This feature can come in handy when opening a bite with either stainless steel or reverse curve Niti wires, because the opening up of the brackets slot size causes less wire deflection. (Figs. 1, 2) The classic way of opening bites with the Tip-Edge system include: (Figs. 3, 4, 5) ᕡ Band the first molars. ᕢ Bracket only the anterior teeth. ᕣ Use an .016 stainless steel wire with bite opening bends placed 2 mm in front of the molar tube. The anterior portion of the wire should Fig. 2 Fig. 4 Fig. 6 Fig. 3 Fig. 5 Fig. 7 8 Summer 2021 JAOS
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Summer 2021: Page 8
