THE EDITOR'S CORNER

There are three orthodontic appliances whose mechanics are so fundamentally sound that they would seem to be indispensable to the modern orthodontist. Yet, there are some orthodontists who employ none of them and there are not many orthodontists who use all three.

First and foremost is the full-banded appliance. There are many of these and they share the characteristic of controlled tooth movement. In the hands of the average orthodontist they are capable of more refined movements of teeth and contribute to a more sophisticated form of orthodontic treatment involving uprighting, torquing, intruding, extruding, and rotating. The average operator would find these movements difficult or impossible without a full-banded technique.

The second of these is the extraoral anchorage appliance. There are many of these and they share the characteristic of delivering a unidirectional pull on the teeth. Usually this is a backward pull. Since we are usually dealing with an occlusal system that is already forward and needs putting back and with a force system which, without an extraoral bias, tends to move some or all the teeth forward, extraoral anchorage should be indispensable to the maximum attainment of our treatment goals.

The third is the positioner appliance. There has been no more soundly conceived finishing and retaining appliance than this. The ability of this appliance to add all the final finishing touches to a well-treated case and to retain it is unsurpassed. This appliance can produce consistently superb results from consistently good results.

These appliances are not automatic. The case must be well diagnosed, the treatment well planned, the appliances well made. The only limitation then will be the care and attention of the operator and the cooperation of the patient. In consideration of the unique contribution that each of these appliances can make toward the success of our treatment, we would all be repaid if we studied surer methods for treatment control, for patient selection and for eliciting dedicated patient cooperation.