Gaining Control with Self-Ligation

Self-ligating brackets and square wires were used to reduce treatment time and increase patient comfort. A case report is presented for the In-Ovation “R” self-ligating bracket (“Reduced” denoted herein as the “R” bracket; Dentsply GAC International, Bohemia, NY 11716) with square wires to enhance treatment. The treatment time was compared for patients treated with “R” brackets and square wires to patients treated with traditional stainless steel ligated, preadjusted edgewise brackets. Patients treated with the self-ligating brackets finished an average of 5.7 months sooner (19 months on average) than those undergoing traditional treatment. The combination of the self-ligating bracket and square wires enhanced orthodontic mechanotherapy with individualized 3-dimensional tooth movement. Nonsurgical, palatal expansion was performed with a bonded rapid palatal expansion bite plane system, followed by a Cetlin palatal bar (GAC International) to correct patients having deficient maxillary/mandibular width. Combining self-ligating brackets with nickel titanium and beta titanium wires allowed more patients to be treated in less time with stable results.