Nonsurgical treatment of open bite in nongrowing patients.

Successful treatment of the adult patient with an open bite dental or skeletal pattern often presents a difficult challenge. While the causes of open bite may be multifactorial in nature, there are specific diagnostic criteria that may allow for an orthodontic treatment modality incorporating extraction therapy with retraction of incisors. Two case presentations illustrate treatment of adult patients with open bites due to proclined incisors. The diagnostic criteria and mechanics for appropriate and successful treatment are discussed. Although the selection of extraction therapy for correction of anterior open bite has a narrow range of application in the overall scheme of open bite treatment, this treatment method has certain areas of application in which success may be anticipated.