• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.134-141
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• 2016

Use of ready-made orthodontic appliance can lead to inefficiencies in the final stages of the orthodontic treatment. Because patients' teeth have anatomic variations, brackets that have been designed to fit on average tooth surface may result in positional discrepancies when leveling and alignment is completed. As a result, additional steps such as rebonding, wire bending and use of auxiliaries may be needed. Even in patients who have normal tooth anatomy and proper tooth size relationships, precise bracket placement is crucial in order to efficiently control the tooth positions. Digital models can provide advantages in clinical orthodontics as virtual tooth setup could be performed, and clinicians can easily visualize the predicted final occlusion. Through this setup model, customized brackets with individualized prescription and archwires that optimally fit with the patients' dental arches can be produced using CAD/CAM technology. Also, the brackets can be accurately placed with an aid of 3D-printed jigs. The purpose of this article is to introduce the commonly used labial and lingual customized orthodontic appliance systems using digital technology.

• The korean journal of orthodontics
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.116-123
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• 2019

As an alternative to the conventional fixed appliance that uses orthodontic brackets, a simple round tube without a bonding base can be bonded to the tooth surface by covering the tube with flowable resin. In this technique, bent wires cannot be inserted into the simple tubes; therefore, repositioning of the simple tubes is often required for adjustments. To reduce repositioning of simple tubes, a dome-shaped resin covering of the simple tube can be designed with a customized in-and-out compensation, using three-dimensional computer-aided design software based on digital simulation of orthodontic tooth movement. In the present case, the use of simple tubes bonded with customized resin coverings in a Class I nonextraction case is described in a 17-year-old male, in whom moderate crowding of the anterior teeth was treated over an 8-month period. This case shows that simple tubes can be used as an alternative to brackets in some Class I nonextraction cases, with the potential benefit of reducing decalcification.