Bimaxillary distraction osteogenesis--an effective approach for the transverse jaw discrepancies in adults

Severe dental crowding in adult patients is one of the features of disparity between the size of the teeth and the jaws. It is most frequently found in cases with a transverse hypoplasia of the maxilla and the mandible. The traditional orthodontic approach is extraction of teeth or arch expansion, both of them with major esthetic disadvantages for the patients. The surgically assisted maxillary expansion (SARME) and the mandibular midsymphyseal distraction osteogenesis procedures open new horizons for the orthodontists and maxillofacial surgeons in the effort to solve the esthetic demands of the patients with dental crowding and severe transversal discrepancy. The amount of surgical expansion is of higher magnitude and stability then the one achieved in orthodontic cases. The case presented here highlights the importance of the surgical procedure followed by the orthodontic therapy due to the enhancement in occlusion, dental alignment and facial morphology.