Use of palatal miniscrew anchorage and lingual multi-bracket appliances to enhance efficiency of molar scissors-bite correction.

This article reports the successful treatment method of scissors-bite correction using miniscrew anchorage and a lingual multi-bracket appliance. A female patient, 17 years and 4 months old, had a chief complaint of crowding of anterior teeth. The patient was given the diagnosis of Angle Class I malocclusion with bimaxillary protrusion and incisor crowding. She also showed a scissors-bite of the second molar on the right side. Miniscrews were inserted into the palatal region of the upper second molar to reinforce the anchorage, and a lingual multi-bracket appliance was placed into the maxilla. Miniscrews inserted palatally were used to correct the scissors-bite in the first 3 months; afterward, they were used to retract the six anterior teeth. The total active treatment period was 26 months. Because of the bite-plane effect, the upper and lower molars were separated in occlusion, and the scissors-bite was corrected effectively within a short time. The combined use of palatal miniscrew anchorage and lingual multi-bracket appliances enhances efficiency of molar scissors-bite correction. (Angle Orthod. 2009;79:577-584.)