title: Long-term stability of lip bumper therapy followed by fixed appliances.
abstract: Lip bumper treatment has been shown to successfully increase arch width, procline the incisors, and distalize molars. However, few studies have been performed showing the long-term stability of lip bumper treatment. In this study, mandibular casts taken by a single practitioner from 51 patients treated with lip bumpers without rapid palatal expansion were analyzed at pretreatment, post-lip bumper treatment, posttreatment, and long-term out of treatment. Measurements of arch width, arch depth, arch length, and anterior crowding were made. During treatment, there was a mean decrease in irregularity of 3.73 mm, with a posttreatment increase of 0.76 mm, for a net decrease of 2.97 mm. Despite posttreatment decreases, significant gains in arch width were maintained for extended periods of time. The intercanine width had a net increase of 1.78 mm (19% relapse), first premolars 3.39 mm (26% relapse), second premolars 2.58 mm (34% relapse), and first molars 2.17 mm (20% relapse). Lip bumper treatment along with fixed appliances is an effective means to obtain long-term increases in arch width and decreases in the irregularity index.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Texas, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Michael Joseph
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.forename: Jeryl D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: English
authors.forename: W Bonham
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Magness
authors.forename: Chris John
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: McKee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008046:Lip; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D016382:Orthodontic Appliance Design; D009967:Orthodontic Appliances; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012008:Recurrence; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome