The 20 Principles of the Alexander Discipline, Volume 3. R.G. "Wick" Alexander

      © 2016 Quintessence Publishing Co, Inc

      Quintessence Publishing Co, Inc

      4350 Chandler Drive

      Hanover Park, IL 60133

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      Editor: Leah Huffman

      Cover design and production: Angelina Sanchez

       Contents

Dedication

Preface

Acknowledgments

1 Treatment of Open Bite Malocclusions

       2 Treatment of Deep Bite Malocclusions

       3 Borderline Treatment: Combining Orthopedic and Orthodontic Forces

       4 Treatment of Class III Malocclusions

       5 Early Treatment

       6 Adult Treatment

       7 Atypical Extractions

       8 Impacted, Transposed, and Missing Teeth

Dedication

      Was it Shakespeare who said, “Nothing lasts forever”? As the specialty of orthodontics continues to evolve, my prayer is that it will focus on what is the proper and the best treatment for the patient’s health and welfare. This book is therefore dedicated to future orthodontists. Always remember that your success will come in your ability to “leave it better than you found it.” I am talking about quality of treatment. As our specialty learns more and more about new possibilities in orthodontic mechanics, the focus of treatment must continue to be what is best for the patient. We must remain servants to our patients, whose treatment depends on our ability to address problems and produce high-quality results. It has been a wonderful journey for me, and now the baton is being passed onward to you, future orthodontists. Give it your best efforts so that one day you can smile and pass it on to the next generation.

Preface

      If an orthodontist or general dentist has very limited education or experience, every case he or she treats can be described as “unusual and difficult.” Every young orthodontist or general dentist can easily select the wrong bracket, choose the wrong archwire, or select and place the wrong orthopedic force. These poor decisions can either have minor effects on the results or be devastating and require severe treatment-planning changes.

      As mentioned in Case 9-3 of volume 2, when we are dealing with human beings, we have limitations. Although we can make tremendous improvements in the dentition and facial appearance, some factors for gaining permanent stability in selected patients are out of our control. The skeletal pattern of the patient in that case had deteriorated vertically over time, and her final overbite and overjet after 18 years were greater than they were at the beginning of her first treatment.

      For those doctors who are new to the Alexander Discipline, it may seem that our treatment technique is so simple that the doctor can be successful even without learning the fundamentals of orthodontics. Many general practitioners are misled to believe that orthodontics is easy. The reality is that there is no such thing as an “easy” case. The Alexander Discipline is simple if you follow the rules and understand the limitations of each sequence.

      The purpose of this book is to demonstrate how certain changes should be made from the “routine” system to adapt to the individual “unusual” case. These changes can include unusual extraction patterns, bracket angulations, treatment timing, and substitution of selected teeth. The most exciting thing about this book is that it demonstrates how “adaptable” the dentoalveolar hard and soft tissues can be under certain conditions. And in several cases we were able to obtain long-term records to demonstrate not only the stability of the occlusion but also the long-term health of the hard and soft tissues.

      Hopefully this book can give the reader a new perspective in regard to the treatment of certain malocclusions and the potential stability possible for each.