Non-surgical treatment of a patient with skeletal class III malocclusion using class iii intermaxillary elastics

This case report describes the orthodontic treatment of a 16 year-old woman with a skeletal Class III malocclusion. Nonsurgical orthodontic treatment of the patient with true & pseudo Class III malocclusion, reverse overjet, increased overbite is described. Although the treatment options included an orthognathic approach, high cost of the surgical procedure was the main reason for extreme dental compensation to have been performed. Intermaxillary Class III elastics were used to correct the malocclusion at the expense of increasing the initial dental compensation. Satisfactory and stable occlusion was achieved with dental and smile esthetics improvement along with significant facial profile improvement. The clinical results and implications of compensatory treatment as well as its relevance within the patient context are discussed based on scientific evidences which is a significant nonsurgical cost effective orthodontic approach for treatment of Class III malocclusion.