The field of orthodontics has expanded to the point where expertise in a wide variety of health specialties is required to treat an orthodontic case to its highest potential.
A primary reason for this syllabus is that the piecemeal approach to management of an individual's oral health is no longer relevant. Many cases require a unified approach in which various orofacial specialists work toward a common goal. The key to insuring that all practitioners are operating harmoniously is a well conceived treatment plan.
Certainly planning is not unique to dentistry. One would not build a house at random; home construction begins with a detailed set of plans. A plan is more than just a design. It also allows communication and coordination among the entities who must work together to produce the result. Therefore, an appropriate dental treatment plan must coordinate the activities of the various clinicians involved in the case.
In the past two decades a vast body of treatment planning information has been placed at the disposal of the clinician. In this volume we have attempted to harness this sometimes overwhelming amount of material into a cohesive unit designed for everyday practical applications.
The method of static analysis presented herein enhances understanding of how a patient deviates from the normal pattern. Dynamic or functional analysis aids in the visualization and recognition of growth pattern changes.
Lateral and frontal CEPHALOMETRIC tracings with the landmarks, lines, and planes that are utilized are shown. The definitions of the landmarks are presented in the pages immediately following this discussion. These points serve to evaluate the cranium, the mandible, the maxilla, the denture, and the soft tissue profile. In this and succeeding sections, the use of these landmarks in the analysis will be explained.
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