Article
Lingual and Esthetic Orthodontics
There have been very few books written on lingual orthodontics. Authors who have written on the technique include Scuzzo and Takemoto, Reisman, Romano and Kurz.
Rafi Romano has got together with numerous orthodontists around the world to produce a good, substantial, well illustrated book (as one would expect from Quintessence Publishing) on aesthetic orthodontics.
The book is divided into five main sections. The first section covers many lingual appliances with contributions from various lingual orthodontists around the world. All chapters are well illustrated, some going into great depth on the use of the particular system, including some good case reports. I personally would like to have seen chapters written by Didier Fillion or Scuzzo on the STb system and Wiechmann on the Incognito appliance to give this section full coverage of the most popular systems that are used in the western world.
The second section covers laboratory techniques, the initial chapter going through the various techniques such as TOPS, BEST, Hiro and the CLASS set up. A chapter is dedicated to the Orapix system in a good amount of detail. The Hiro technique is also described very well by the inventor of the technique. The section covers most of the laboratory techniques used around the world. There is a chapter in this section for those adventurous enough to do their own set up as well as their clinical commitments.
The third section covers mechanics in lingual, some of which have already been covered in the first section. There is a whole chapter dedicated to tooth size discrepancies and stripping. There is a good section on how to control vertical dimension and also a scientific description of the theoretical analysis of maxillary incisor movement. As well as a good chapter on team work in interdisciplinary treatment, there are also case presentations on using lingual appliances with orthognathic surgery and a step-by-step account on how to use the Hiro transfer system, not to mention a fabulous chapter on microimplant anchorage. Multidisciplinary case presentations are shown here again and the section is concluded with lingual orthodontics.
The fourth section covers tips and tricks in lingual orthodontics. The first chapter covers paradigms in lingual orthodontics. The second chapter goes through problems, their solutions and clinical tips, which is very well illustrated and goes through the common problems. Topics covered include: facial balance, the use of aluminium oxide and speech problems.
The final section is on clear and aesthetic appliances. It covers Invisalign and clear aligners. The second chapter on Class II and Class III cases is misplaced and could have been placed in the third section.
There is a final short chapter looking at the future of lingual orthodontics from the author's perspective.
With comprehensive coverage of the subject for the most part, this is a good reference book to have in the library.