Digital interceptive orthodontics falls within the scope of orthodontic therapies concerning pediatric patients. It aims to improve or completely resolve malocclusions during the dental arch development phase. It involves treatments to be undertaken at an early age aimed at eliminating the factors responsible for such malocclusions when the child still has their baby teeth.
Modern technologies allow us to make an accurate diagnosis and a targeted therapeutic plan, ensuring greater comfort for our patients. The combined use of the intraoral scanner, Cone Beam CT, laboratory technologies such as laser melting and 3D printing, and technopolymers, enable us to offer maximum efficiency.
THE EVOLUTION OF DENTAL THERAPIES THROUGH DIGITAL INTERCEPTIVE ORTHODONTICS
The use of new materials and technologies in orthodontics has led to the workflow transformation from analog to digital. While the validity of traditional biological and therapeutic principles remains, we benefit from faster and more effective intervention in orthodontics through the use of intraoral scanners, technopolymers, and new production methods.
The new processing methods we refer to are the result of the development of CAD/CAM technologies. Today, we speak of CAD/CAT (computer-aided technofacturing) technologies because they involve orthodontic devices produced through technofacture.
MAIN ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL INTERCEPTIVE ORTHODONTICS
Some dental anomalies and malformations of the jawbones need to be corrected with removable and fixed appliances. Orthodontics 4.0 allows us to:
- increase the comfort of pediatric patients, in fact, through the use of intraoral scanners, the gag reflex causing great stress to children is eliminated;
- create customized devices that meet individual needs;
- replace traditional orthodontic metal alloys with metal-free materials that meet the biomechanical and mechanical needs of the orthodontist. The use of technopolymers allows treating special needs patients who require periodic instrumental examinations.
TOOLS AND STEPS OF DIGITAL INTERCEPTIVE ORTHODONTICS
The workflow in the orthodontic department of our dental clinic in Milan has evolved significantly from the analog phase to the full digital 4.0 phase. Among the steps and tools that allow us to guarantee each patient the best therapy, we include:
- objective examination;
- orthopantomography;
- radiological examinations;
- digital scanning of the arches;
- acquisition of digital models with an intraoral scanner;
- impression taking with polyvinyl siloxane to produce a palatal expander;
- production of a slow palatal expander with laser sintering and cemented, to be periodically reactivated;
- rapid maxillary expansion;
- taking new impressions with polyvinyl siloxane to create a palatal bar;
- band trial execution;
- creation of new virtual models with which an individualized Nance bar in Trilor is obtained. This is a fiber-reinforced resin, very lightweight and of the right stiffness. It can be used instead of metal for manufacturing numerous orthodontic devices;
- extraction protocol.
DIGITAL INTERCEPTIVE ORTHODONTICS IN THE CORRECTION OF IMPACTED CANINES
A particularly delicate issue to address is the interceptive therapy of impacted canines. The treatment of this pathology requires an accurate diagnostic phase and meticulous therapeutic planning. The interceptive therapy of canines at risk of impaction aims to facilitate the regular eruption of the teeth and to enable a faster second therapeutic phase. Here too, particular importance is given to the comfort of both the operator and the patient.
