Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Journal
Founded in 1915
of ORTHODONTICS
Volume 85
Copyright
Number
April, 1984
ORIGINAL
ARTICLES
Dr. Holdaway
Reed A. Holdaway
Provo, Utah
he term visual (or visualized) treatment objective (VTO) was coined to cormmmicate the planning
of treatment for any orthodontic problem. Systems
based on hard-tissue measurements or reference lines
alone may produce disappointing results. It is high time
that orthodontists use a method of considering a case
from all possible perspectives, such as the limitations of
the case, the good aspects of the case, etc. Then, from an
understanding of profile soft-tissue responses accompanying tooth movement, we can first develop a lower
face profile outline that is harmonious with the skeletal
type of the patient under study. Once we have developed
that soft-tissue profile objective with an understanding
of how the lips respond when the teeth are moved, we
can plan the dental repositioning necessary to bring
about the desired change. More important, when we
have quantitated a soft-tissue profile that is excellent, as
the patient is treated we will take great care in our
procedures to not do anything that will detract from the
physical attractiveness of that persons face.
Before I explain the VT0 steps, the question of
how much (and in what manner) a particular patient
will grow must be considered. This is where. our careful
study of all previously treated cases, as in Part I of this
presentation, helps us to get the feel of a case.
I believe that growth-forecasting methods get one
much closer to final size and proportion than one can
ever get by working only from the pretreatment tracing
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Am. J. Orthcd.
April 1984
Holdaway
necessarily uniform in either direction or rate. It is recognized that precise prediction of skeletal or soft-tissue
growth in amount or direction is beyond our present
knowledge. However, until the stage is reached
whereby orthodontists and/or scientific investigators
are able to accurately predict or determine direction and
rates of growth, we have no alternative but to avail
ourselves of our present knowledge of growth based on
average increments.
Orthodontic treatment is monitored with progress
head films, usually at 6-month intervals. Whenever a
case is encountered in which growth is occurring in a
different direction than expected, a new midtreatment
VT0 is then constructed so that changes in treatment
procedures can be made and any disfiguring lip responses can be avoided.
Whenever possible, it is a good plan to take head
films for a year or two prior to beginning treatment and
thus develop a growth profile for the case, assuming
that there is an opportunity to examine the patient that
early. Developing pretreatment growth profiles of our
patients helps to overcome our inadequacies in growth
forecasting.
There are not more than one or two out of 100 cases
in my practice today in which there is dissatisfaction
Volume
85
Number
with the final outcome of treatment after final softtissue adaptive changes have occurred, as opposed to
one out of five prior to use of the soft-tissue VTO.
In addition to the six reference lines presented in
Part I for the actual VT0 construction, three more
shown in Fig. 1, A (dotted lines) are added to the
tracing to facilitate rapid copying of portions of the
pretreatment lateral cephalometric tracing. First is the
nasion to point A line. In longitudinal growth studies of
patients not undergoing orthodontic treatment, the
constancy of the angle SNA is extremely good-only
about 1 change in 5 years on the average. For l- or
2-year forecasts, we can disregard such a small
amount. Reference lines or angles that are very near to
constants offer our best chance of constructing visual
treatment objectives that we can confidently use as
Fig. 3. Express growth of the mandible in its vertical and anterior growth pattern and draw the anterior portion of the mandible, the soft-tissue chin, and the Downs lower border of the
mandible line.
treatment goals and guides during orthodontic treatment. Second is Ricketts facial axis (foramen rotundum to gnathion) . This is used as a guide to direction of
mandibular growth. Third is the mandibular plane
(Downs). Some may prefer to use the Go-Gn line as a
lower border of the mandibular reference line. Either is
acceptable, but the Downs mandibular plane line is
preferred because of its nearness to the actual lower
border.
The headfilm should be taken with the patients lips
lightly touching.
VT0 STEPS
Step I (Fig. 1, B and C)
282
Holdaway
Fig. 4. Express
(or lower face)
growth in a horizontal
and draw the posterior
Am. J. Orthod.
April 1984
direction
in the mandible
portion of the mandible.
the maxilla,
the new
A point,
and the
First, superimpose the VT0 facial axis on the original and move the VT0 up so that the VT0 SN line is
above the original SN. The amount of movement will
usually be 3 mm per year of growth, except in accelerated growth-spurt periods. (Note: Since the facial axis
may be opened or closed as judged from the facial
Soft-tissue cephalometric
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Number 4
Fig.
6. Locate
and
draw
the occlusal
plane.
analysis
283
284
Holdaway
Am. J. Orthod.
April 1984
Fig.
8. Procedure
followed
in drawing
new
lip outlines.
Corporation,
Monrovia,
Calif.
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Number 4
Soft-tissue
maxillary
central
incisor.
(Once the most
and form of the lips have been established,
to compute
the necessary
repositioning
of
produce
them.)
the lower
length.
cephalometric
incisor
and calculate
analysis
the effect
205
of
206 Holdaway
Am. J. Orthod.
April 1984
Soft-tissue cephalometric
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Number 4
follow-up
tracings
of patient
used
to
retention,
and follow-up
analysis
photographs
287
of
13.
contraindicated, the VT0 will show that the lower incisors need to be moved forward, thus also increasing
arch length and reducing the need to extract. On occasion both approaches can be used. In my opinion, lower
incisors should not be moved forward to a point more
than 1 mm anterior to the A-pogonion line, as posttreatment stability and long-term periodontal health are
usually endangered by so doing.
The use of the VT0 at this point to study and
evaluate anchorage and arch length is one of its great
advantages. If the lower molar must be moved anteriorly as much as 3.5 mm, the lower second premolars will be removed. There are cases in which there is
an extremely thin alveolar process, particularly those
cases that have deficient lower face height where the
lower molars seem to get locked up in cortical bone if
the second premolars are extracted. Extraction of the
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Holdaway
April
Note: As to how point A changes with incisor retraction, it is imperative that the clinician study the be-
surgery
was previously
alone was the procedure
1984
advised.
The soft-tissue
of choice.
Soft-tissue cephalometric
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Number 4
Fig.
see
Fig. 15.
VT0 were accomplished. The soft-tissue analysis measurements , while greatly improved, still fail to meet the
VT0 goals, even though the soft-tissue chin position
has improved 1. This is because the lips still have not
completely adapted to the tooth movement. There is an
increased measurement of the upper lip thickness at the
vermilion border from 10 to 16 mm. The H angle has
improved from 23 to 14. However, with a 2 mm
convexity, ideally it should be 12.
In the 7-year follow-up shown in Fig. 13, B, the
soft-tissue facial angle is an ideal 90. The superior
sulcus form is excellent to both reference lines. The
upper lip has 1 mm of normal taper, with a slight decrease in basic thickness. Skeletal convexity is down to
0, and the H angle is ideal at lo. The upper lip has
completed its adaptive changes and has a 1 mm taper.
We see the same changes in this patients facial photographs (Fig. 14).
ILLUSTRATIVE
CASES
mandibular
analysis
advancement
299
sur-
290
Am. J. Orthod.
April 1984
Holdaway
Fig.
18.
Soft-tissue cephalometric
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Number 4
with a 5 mm lower
analysis
findings.
arch length
discrepancy.
It was treated
anulysis
291
without
quantitated in the analysis by measurements of the superior sulcus which measures 10 mm to the line perpendicular to the Frankfort plane and 18 mm to the H
line. The lower lip was 6 mm outside the H line. The
soft-tissue VT0 in Fig. 22, C dictated that the lower
incisors be retracted 7 mm, even though an overjet of 9
mm was present and 3 mm of crowding was present in
the lower arch. A further consideration was a carious
exposure of the upper right first molar. The space and
anchorage requirements plus the condition of the first
molar dictated that the four first molars be extracted.
The cephalometric tracing the day of retention in
Fig. 22, B shows great improvement of lip positions.
The superior sulcus depth measured to the line perpendicular to Frankfort has been reduced to 5 mm, and the
measurement to the H line has been reduced to 7 mm.
The lower lip measurement to the H line has been reduced to 2 mm. Chin prominence has improved, as
shown by the soft-tissue facial plane of W, indicating
excellent growth and control of vertical relationships
during orthodontic treatment. Skeletal convexity has
also been reduced to - 1 mm.
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Holdaway
Am. J. Orthod.
April 1984
Fig.
see
Fig.
19.
extractions
were
per-
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Number 4
Soft-tissue cephalometric
Fig.
see
Fig. 22.
SUMMARY
analysis
293
ERRATUM
In A Soft-Tissue Cephalometric Analysis and Its Use in Orthodontic Treatment Planning. Part I by Holdaway, which appeared on pages 1 to 28 of the July, 1983, issue of
the JOURNAL, the top and bottom portions of two illustrations were inadvertently transposed. In Fig. 9 the bottom tracing should have been part A and the top tracing part B . In
Fig. 29 the bottom figure is the malocclusion tracing and the top one is the retention
tracing.