The maxillary protraction treatment: description of a laser Er:Yag-assisted surgical technique. Case report

The surgically aided rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) is indicated to treat the hypoplasia of the upper jaw, with a reduction of the palatal transverse diameters, even in absence of mono- or bilateral crossbite, in the adult patient. In such cases, maxillary osteotomies are made in order to reduce the sutural resistance and facilitate the expansion of the maxillary complex. A case of surgically-aided expansion of the maxilla by the use of laser Er:Yag is reported. This device is able to guarantee targeted osteotomies of the bone, without inducing iatrogenic damages of the soft tissues. The orthodontic treatment has been performed using a bonded palatal expander (type Hyrax) in association with a class III orthopedic traction (face mask). After this a fixed appliance at both the arches was bonded. The preliminary radiographic examination and the cefalometric evaluation have been repeated at the end of the maxillary protraction (60 days after surgery) and at the end of the orthodontic treatment. The entire duration of the treatment was 18 months. The use of the laser Er:Yag has showed several advantages if compared to the traditional tools (bur), as more safety, more cutting precision and less probability to determine side effects on the soft tissue. The orthodontic treatment has been performed according to the standard protocol and the results were similar to the referred in literature.