Camouflage Correction of Skeletal Class III Severe Open Bite with Tooth Ankylosis Treated by Temporary Anchorage Devices: A Case Report

Tooth ankylosis is a disorder characterized by the fusion of tooth and alveolar bone. This case report describes the treatment of a severe open bite due to tooth ankylosis. A 14-year-old female patient with a chief complaint of masticatory dysfunction was diagnosed with skeletal Class III severe anterior open bite and tooth ankylosis. She visited our university hospital with a chief complaint of an anterior open bite. After the surgical luxation of the ankylosed maxillary right central incisor, the tooth was orthodontically retracted using a nickel-titanium wire. The right mandibular lateral incisor and canine were luxated and retracted using intermaxillary elastics from a temporary anchorage device (TAD), which was inserted in the opposite jaw. During the treatment, skeletal Class III malocclusion deteriorated due to anterior growth of the mandible. Therefore, TADs were inserted into the retromolar pad on both sides of the mandible and retracted into the mandibular dental arch. Although the mandibular right canine was luxated several times, it could not be brought to the occlusal line, and was thus extracted; the extraction space was replaced with a prosthesis. Consequently, a normal overjet and overbite with a straight profile were achieved. Extrusion of ankylosed teeth by intermaxillary elastics from a TAD is a valid treatment option for patients with severe open bites.