Compromised Occlusal Outcome in Favor of Facial Esthetics

Treatment to Class I occlusion has prevailed as the gold standard, but the occlusal outcome does not necessarily correspond to favorable or enhanced facial esthetics. Discrepancies among hard structures (bone and teeth) in relation to soft tissue variation in thickness and proportion indicate that in such malocclusions, limited compensation short of a Class I occlusion may be appropriate as the severity of skeletal discrepancy increases. This concept will be illustrated with treatment reports and research findings.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the scope of dentoalveolar compensation.
• Recognize the constitutional and therapeutic limitations to attaining neutroclusion.
  
• Determine how to reach an educated decision to balance individual outcome and expectations with the side effects of “ideal” treatment (e.g compromised esthetics, lengthy treatment).