J Korean Assoc Maxillofac Plast Reconstr Surg.  1999 Aug;21(3):303-311.

Clinical use of corticotomies in adult orthodontics

• Lee BS
• Hwang HW
• Chung KR

Abstract

In adult patients, the corrections of their malocclusion may be more difficult and require longer treatment time due to thicker layer of cortical bone and reduced blood supply. Recently, various methods such as surgery, implant for anchorage and corticotomy have been tried to overcome these problems. Corticotomy is a surgical technique in which a fissure is made through the cortical bone that surrounds a tooth so that the tooth is embedded within a block of bone that is connected to adjacent blocks through only the medullary bone. Technique of corticotomy has been widely used for correction of maxillary transverse deficiency, but hasn't actively in other fields of orthodontics. We applied corticotomies in many types of orthodontic treatment and had satisfactory results. We suggested clinical application of corticotomy in adult orthodontics to reduce treatment period and to achieve better stability after orthodontic treatment.

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Humans
Malocclusion
Orthodontics*
Tooth