Treatment in the deciduous dentition: four clinical cases.

Early treatment of certain malocclusions is of great importance in orthodontics when normal growth and development is the objective of our therapy. The four cases presented illustrate the three types of malocclusion which must be treated early: cross-bites (transverse), Class III malocclusions (saggital) and open-bites (vertical). In most of these cases there is a deficiency of the maxilla. The maxilla is the template for the mandible in the early stages of development, and for this reason it should be treated early. As Ricketts said concerning early treatment: The crux of the dilemma is the failure to recognize complete maxillary orthopedics in the three planes of space.