Point/Counterpoint: The Case for Non-extraction in the Mixed Dentition

This presentation will discuss the findings of a series of prospective and retrospective clinical studies of orthodontic and orthopedics intervention in the early mixed dentition. Guidelines will be presented as to which patients will benefit from treatment with a bonded rapid maxillary expander, preceded in some instances by a removable lower Schwarz expansion appliance. Other patients, especially those with large tooth size, will benefit from a serial extraction protocol. In managing tooth-size/arch-size discrepancies in the mixed dentition, common sense must prevail.

• Relate the indications for the use of a bonded acrylic splint expander
• Determine which patients will benefit from removable Schwarz treatment
• Recognize which patients can be treated non-extraction and which patients require extraction of permanent teeth