Management of skeletal Class III malocclusion using two-phase therapy in young patient - A case report

Maxillary and mandibular skeletal discrepancies are one of the commonly prevailing malocclusion in the childhood. Many a time it is ignored by the parents as well as the clinicians. It can present itself with aesthetic, functional and psychological problems of the child. Proper identification, diagnosis and treatment planning at the proper age can lead to correction and improvement in the overall facial balance and psychological esteem of the child. Over the years orthopedic and myofunctional appliances has been used to correct Class II and Class III skeletal malocclusion in a growing child. Face mask therapy with RME has been used as treatment choice to treat a patient with skeletal Class III malocclusion. Orthopedic correction in the early stage of life can eliminate the severity and further complex treatment modalities in the later stages of life. This case report describes the treatment of male child aged 12 years who had skeletal Class III malocclusion with maxillary deficiency. The treatment was done in two phases; orthopedic correction was done initially using RME Facemask followed by fixed orthodontic correction. There was overall improvement in the facial profile and occlusion of the patient post treatment.