Restoration of the Anterior Segment in a Cleft Palate in Conjunction with Surgically Facilitated Orthodontic Therapy: An Interdisciplinary Approach

Detailed three-dimensional orthodontic tooth repositioning to improve restorative outcome

The case describes the interdisciplinary treatment of a 23-year-old woman with a Class III malocclusion, missing an upper right lateral incisor, abrasion of the maxillary incisal edges, anterior gingival margin discrepancies, and gingival recession. Initially, the patient was treated with fixed appliances combined with orthognathic surgery. The extraction of the upper left lateral incisor and bilateral canine substitution plan was chosen. At the end of the surgical and orthodontic treatment, the restorative treatment with six veneers was accomplished to improve smile esthetics. Despite the missing lateral incisors, the patient showed a natural, good-looking final result. A symmetric incisal plane was established, a functional occlusion with average vertical and horizontal overlap was set, and the bone scallop and consequently the gingival margins were leveled. The interdisciplinary approach hid all of the initial esthetic defects of the case. The result highlights how to obtain a remarkable improvement of the smile outcome with a well-functioning masticatory system.