Although it has been well established that surgery-first is a safe and stable procedure, the use of fixed orthodontic appliances might lead to a prolongated treatment time due to the need for bracket placement, alignment, leveling phase, and detailing. With digital orthodontics and clear aligner therapy, it is possible to virtually plan the tooth movements ahead of the surgery and start the orthodontic treatment immediately after surgery. However, the skeletal changes and stability using a clear aligner technique are not described in the literature. This lecture will show these changes by comparing fixed and aligner therapy techniques in patients that receive surgery-first approach.
Learning Objectives:
After this lecture, attendees will be able to:
To recognize the indications of the surgery-first approach.
To demonstrate the skeletal changes immediately after surgery and at the end of the orthodontic treatment.
To identify which treatment modality performed better for the treatment time and skeletal stability.
