Skeletal Class III Malocclusion in an Adult Patient – Orthodontics versus Orthognathic Surgery: Is there Another Alternative?

Abstract

Class III malocclusions are considered to be one of the most difficult problems to treat. Due to the significant number of patients with Class III malocclusion who cannot undergo orthognathic surgery for different reasons, we have proposed an alternative treatment that we have called surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion (SARPE) + temporary anchorage devices (TADs) which allows solving mild and moderate Class III malocclusion combined with maxillary compression, obtaining acceptable esthetic and functional results. We present a case report of an adult female with skeletal Class III malocclusion with compression in the maxillary and mandibular asymmetry, who was treated with SARPE + TADs. The result is acceptable in terms of occlusion function, esthetic of the smile, and facial esthetics