THE EDITOR'S CORNER

It seems to me that when we talk about the cant of the occlusal plane, the cant about it should be that you can't assume that the original position is necessarily the correct one and that a change during treatment is necessarily detrimental.

An occlusal plane constructed in the usual way (the best connection of the occlusal surface of the first molar with midpoint between the incisal tips of the most anterior upper and lower incisors) is a creature of tooth positions and to assume that they are correct in the vertical aspect in a patient with malocclusion is highly questionable. An intrusion of lower anterior teeth coupled with extrusion of lower molars can change the occlusal plane angle. This can be effective treatment in a deep bite Class II and the opposite in a Class III.

If you are committed to not changing the occlusal plane, you are probably doomed to disappointment, but you are also probably making certain treatments much more difficult than they need to be.

The real question may well be how much will the change in the cant of the occlusal plane relapse and how will that affect the success of orthodontic treatment.

One more consideration that is not given to the cant of the occlusal plane is that the cant in frontal section may be at least as important as that in the anteroposterior section. We may still have things to learn about the occlusal plane, but accepting the one you find as inviolate doesn't make for a good beginning.