Orthodontic treatment combined with orthognathic surgery is frequently necessary to effectively manage patients suffering from severe craniofacial deformities. Brackets and wires are conventionally utilized for intraoperative splint stabilization in conventional orthognathic surgery, but such an approach is not applicable for patients undergoing treatment using clear aligners (the Invisalign system). The purpose of this article is to discuss the relative advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of using the Invisalign system when treating severe skeletal crossbite relative to cases treated using conventional braces. The case of this article described a 19-year-old male with skeletal class III crossbite undergoing planned Le Fort I osteotomy and bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy (BSSRO). For this patient, pre- and post-surgical orthodontics were conducted using an Invisalign system, with the interim and final splints being fixed to eight 8 mm mini-screws. Overall, this article reveals that the Invisalign system can be effectively employed for orthodontic treatment in combination with orthognathic surgery.
Copyright © 2021 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.