Chang YHS, Chen YH, Yu JH. Improved superelastic Ni–Ti alloy wire for treating skeletal class III malocclusion combined with anterior crossbite: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(18): 101545 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i18.101545]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jian-Hong Yu, Doctor, PhD, Dean, School of Dentistry, China Medical University, No. 91 Xueshi Road, North District, Taichung 404022, Taiwan. kenkoyu@mail.cmu.edu.tw
Research Domain of This Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Jun 26, 2025; 13(18): 101545 Published online Jun 26, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i18.101545
Improved superelastic Ni–Ti alloy wire for treating skeletal class III malocclusion combined with anterior crossbite: A case report
Yu-Hsiang Sean Chang, Yuan-Hou Chen, Jian-Hong Yu
Yu-Hsiang Sean Chang, Yuan-Hou Chen, Jian-Hong Yu, Department of Orthodontics, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404022, Taiwan
Jian-Hong Yu, School of Dentistry, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
Author contributions: Chang YHS was responsible for conception and design of the study, data collection and analysis, drafting and revising the manuscript; Chen YH was responsible for critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content and clinical supervision; Yu JH was responsible for study supervision, manuscript review and editing; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient and/or their legal guardian for the publication of this case report and accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest related to this manuscript.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jian-Hong Yu, Doctor, PhD, Dean, School of Dentistry, China Medical University, No. 91 Xueshi Road, North District, Taichung 404022, Taiwan. kenkoyu@mail.cmu.edu.tw
Received: September 18, 2024 Revised: January 23, 2025 Accepted: February 17, 2025 Published online: June 26, 2025 Processing time: 161 Days and 18.2 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Correcting skeletal class III malocclusion with anterior crossbite in adolescents using only orthodontic treatment poses challenges. This report highlights a novel approach leveraging improved superelastic Ni–Ti alloy wire (ISW) to address these conditions effectively.
CASE SUMMARY
A 17-year-old male patient presented with the chief complaint of an underbite. The patient was given a diagnosis of skeletal class III malocclusion and anterior crossbite. The orthodontic treatment plan was implemented and did not require teeth extractions or orthognathic surgery. Key interventions involved the application of ISW, intermaxillary elastics, and ISW unilateral multi-bend edgewise archwire. The unique combination of these techniques enabled the correction without the need for extractions or surgery. This approach leverages the advanced biomechanical properties of ISW, including its super-elasticity and shape memory, to enhance treatment efficacy. The treatment lasted 17 months, and major improvements in overjet, overbite, and alignment were achieved. The results were favorable, and stability was discovered during follow-up.
CONCLUSION
The application of ISW for treating skeletal class III malocclusion with anterior crossbite in a 17-year-old male patient resulted in exceptional outcomes. The treatment led to a marked improvement in the patient’s facial profile and to proper overjet, overbite, and midline alignment. These results were maintained over a one-year follow-up, indicating that a minimally invasive orthodontic approach can effectively address complex skeletal discrepancies in adolescent patients. This case illustrates that with the careful use of advanced orthodontic techniques, major skeletal challenges can be resolved without resorting to surgical procedures.
Core Tip: Correcting skeletal class III malocclusion with anterior crossbite in adolescents can be challenging. In this case, a 17-year-old male with an underbite was successfully treated using improved superelastic Ni–Ti alloy wire (ISW), intermaxillary elastics, and ISW unilateral multi-bend edgewise archwire. These techniques corrected the anterior crossbite, aligned the midline, and achieved proper overjet and overbite. The treatment lasted approximately one year and five months, with a stable outcome observed after one year of follow-up. This case demonstrates that skeletal Class III malocclusion in adolescents can be addressed effectively with minimally invasive orthodontic methods.
