CASE STUDY Fig. 2 Fig. 1 By Kylene H. Fernandez, DDS, MS T he thought process as a pediatric dentist sitting down to evaluate a patient may be different than that of a general dentist performing an oral examination on his/her patient. The majority of the time several assessments are being performed in a matter of minutes. One observation preformed is the occlusion. Evaluate if any of the follow-ing are present: habits, deep bite, open bite, crowding, crossbites (either anterior or posterior), congenitally miss-ing teeth, supernumerary teeth and/or trauma. If any of these dental concerns exist, then the deter-mination is made as to whether or not intervention is warranted, to allow the most favorable succedaneous tooth eruption pattern. If making changes is necessary or in the patient’s favor, there is another aspect to consider. Every individual is evaluated for their own appropriate treatment time; in order for one to be Fig. 3 Fig. 4 8 Winter 2018 JAOS
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Winter 2018: Page 8
