She comes to Piano at the age of 9 because she is bothered by the large space between her upper and lower front teeth. This "open occlusion" is often due to the tongue between the front teeth when swallowing (infantile swallowing). The patient is fitted on the roof of the mouth with a tongue-shielding tongue-guard which will widen the jaw and hold the tongue in the correct position. It will remain in this position for 7 months.
The patient returns at 10 years of age when she will have a few braces bonded to her upper teeth to align them in just 10 months. Until all the teeth are changed, the patient will sleep with a trainer to maintain the results obtained previously and guide the teeth in the subsequent eruptions.
At the age of 13, after all teeth have been changed, a fixed appliance is fitted to perfect the final bite and alignment.
