The Korean Journal of Orthodontics  2015;45(1):47-56

doi:10.4041/kjod.2015.45.1.47

Multidisciplinary correction of anterior open bite relapse and upper airway obstruction.

Antonio GRACCO 1 ; Alessandro PERRI ; Laura SIVIERO ; Giulio Alessandri BONETTI ; Francesco COCILOVO ; Edoardo STELLINI

Affiliations

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Keywords

Airway; Relapse; Anterior open bite

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

A 27-year-old man presented an anterior open bite relapse. He had low tongue posture positioned anteriorly at rest and during swallowing and reported chronic difficulty in nose breathing. Head cone-beam computed tomography revealed nasal septum deviation, right turbinate hypertrophy, and left maxillary sinus congestion, which were thought to contribute to the breathing problem, encourage the improper tongue posture, and thereby cause the relapse. Multidisciplinary treatment involving an otorhinolaryngologist, an orthodontist, and a periodontist resolved the upper airway obstruction and corrected the malocclusion. The follow-up examination after 3 years 5 months demonstrated stable results.