The nonsurgical treatment of a Class II open bite malocclusion

This case was treated by residents in the postgraduate orthodontic program at the University of Florida under the supervision of Dr. Hocevar. A treatment regimen that he developed to increase the strength and endurance of the masticatory muscles was used. The patient performed prescribed daily clenching and chewing exercise with resilient posterior bite-blocks and wore a hard acrylic posterior biteplane the remainder of the time. It was hoped that this approach would increase the chances of treatment success and stability.