Article
Lingual Orthodontics: A New Approach Using STb Light Lingual System and Lingual Straight Wire
The demand for invisible orthodontic appliances is ever increasing and, in response to this, significant advances have been made in the design of lingual appliances to simplify their use, increase the predictability of results, shorten treatment times, decrease the amount of laboratory work and to improve patient comfort. This textbook (or probably more correctly named manual) gives a comprehensive overview of the two principal authors Giuseppe Scuzzo and Kyoto Takemoto's latest advances in the lingual technique using the new STb Light Lingual System and Lingual Straight Wire. The new STb (Scuzzo-Takemoto bracket) bracket is named after its inventors and is key to their new treatment philosophy.
Following a brief introduction in Chapter 1, the next seven chapters discuss the design of the STb bracket, and support this with scientific evidence comparing the bracket and the system with other lingual systems. This is covered in a logical manner, first looking at the mechanical aspects of STb and other lingual brackets, progressing onto the ‘Biomechanical Considerations of Light Wire Lingual Orthodontics’, followed by ‘The Effect of Force Levels on Tissue Reaction to Orthodontic Load’. A small number of typographical errors were noted: dataset labelling in Figures 4-21 and 4-22, Table 4-3 two errors in the calculated difference and in Chapter 7 relating to the incisal margin measurement in relation to the resting upper lip. Chapter 9 comprehensively compares the biomechanics of lingual and labial systems with a series of clear diagrams and supporting discussion describing both techniques in three planes of space.
Chapter 10, with input from Didier Fillion, provides a detailed account of the laboratory procedures and is clearly illustrated with excellent diagrams and photographs to demonstrate the process.
The second ‘half’ of this manual is dedicated to the clinical use of the system. Extraction and non-extraction mechanics are comprehensively described using STb brackets with ‘mushroom’-shaped archwires. A wide range of malocclusions are shown from mildly crowded cases to those requiring orthognathic surgery. The system is shown in combination with lingual arches, the pendulum appliance and mini-screw implants. The treated cases in this section illustrate the versatility of the appliance and are finished to a high standard.
A short, well-illustrated chapter describes the STb Social 6 Light Lingual System which has been developed for aesthetically demanding patients in need of minor to moderate corrections in the anterior dental arch segments. This is followed by another short chapter describing the Lingual Straight Wire Method. Given the title of the book, I expected that the proportion of the book dedicated to the Lingual Straight Wire system would be greater and was disappointed in this. The manual concludes with a chapter describing ‘KommonBase’ a recently developed precise direct bonding system.
Given the specialized nature of the book, I would expect it to appeal to orthodontists or dentists, with a special interest in orthodontics, who wish to find out about the latest advances in lingual appliances and/or are looking to invest in a lingual appliance system. This book is logically presented and the science behind the system, the procedures and techniques are comprehensively described with relevant clear illustrations and excellent photographs to complement the text.
