The Snodgrass appliance--a fixed appliance adjunct for Class II treatment mechanics

Clinical use of this new appliance design is meant only to be an adjunct to other treatment mechanics used in the treatment of Class II malocclusions. For example, the primary goals of the appliance are usually accomplished within six months, so I often follow the appliance with a transpalatal bar or a simple Nancebutton to maintain my expansion and molar rotation as I continue to treat the malocclusion. As I use the appliance in the upper arch, I am often using another fixed expansion appliance (e.g., the Williams appliance) in the lower arch and because the bite has been opened by the bonded occlusal rests of the upper, I can use utility arches to level, align, intrude, etc. the lower incisors. As we move through the 1990's and into the next century, orthodontic research will concentrate on treatment of malocclusions earlier than ever before and orthodontic technology will focus on fixed-functional appliances, which improve efficiency, reduce treatment time, and give the clinician primary control. This appliance achieves these goals in excellent fashion. This is a two-dimensional appliance that corrects in three dimensions.