MANAGEMENT OF ANTERIOR CROSSBITE USING CATLANS APPLIANCE IN THE EARLY MIXED DENTITION PERIOD - A CASE REPORT

In the early mixed dentition period, single tooth anterior crossbite is the commonly encountered problem. Once identified, the treatment modality should be simple, non invasive, involves little chair side time, requires minimal patient cooperation, and gives rapid correction of the crossbite without affecting the surrounding structures. Different treatment options such as removable and fixed appliances have been suggested by various authors in the past literature such as tongue blade therapy, Catlans appliance (lower inclined bite plane), crowns (either stainless steel or composite build-up), Hawleys retainer with double cantilever springs, labial and lingual arch wires. Patient compliance with a removable appliance can often be an issue in young children. This paper presents a case of anterior crossbite corrected using the Catlans appliance within a short period of three weeks without any damage to the tooth or the periodontium. This fixed appliance is a simple and economical method which does not depend on patient cooperation to reverse the bite.