[Prevention and treatment of dento-maxillary discrepancy]

The many clinical and radiological signs of arch length discrepancy simplify the practitioner's task of diagnosing it early. When they need to deal with insufficient room in the dental arch, orthodontists have available to them a large variety of therapeutic possibilities that require relatively little cooperation from young patients and that often work quickly to correct beginning malocclusions in the mixed dentition or that prevent them from worsening. Orthodontists decide whether to use space maintainers, increase arch length, or embark on a program of serial extraction depending upon the type of disorder, its severity, and its etiology. The principle objectives of early treatment in arch length discrepancy cases are to re-establish a balanced occlusion and to reduce the duration and the complexity of definitive treatment in the adult dentition.