Book review

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.