A perspective of the Crozat appliance with case reports of its present use

Dr. Crozat of New Orleans first publicly described his removable appliance in 1919. He led a small study club for years, sharing his ideas with a few fellow orthodontists, but published only one article. A.T. Wiebrecht, a general dentist from Milwaukee, studied with Dr. Crozat for many years. In 1966, Wiebrecht published his book, Crozat Appliances in Maxillofacial Orthopedics, and for the first time information about the Crozat appliance was made available to all dentists. Dr. Wiebrecht's goal was to treat all patients to Pont's index; therefore, he advocated lateral expansion of molars and premolars. Wiebrecht's philosophy of expansion appeals to many gnathologists and pedodontists. Dr. Crozat's goal was to solve crowding by the distal movement of molars. As he moved the molars distally, expansion of the appliance was necessary because the bony dental arch itself is wider in the posterior regions. He did expand the lower premolars if they were lingually positioned, but he did not expand the upper canines or premolars as a routine part of his treatment. Thus, two entirely different applications of this appliance have been developed. This article examines the history of Dr. Crozat and his appliance, discusses the development and divergence in its use, and demonstrates this divergence with a few selected, documented case reports.