PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- Clinical professor of Dept. of Orthodontics, Busan National University
- Secretary General of Korean Society of Digital Orthodontists
- Vice president of Korean Association of Lingual Orthodontists
- Private practice in Busan, KOREA
Lecture Description
The population of adolescents, the primary age group for traditional orthodontic treatment, is decreasing significantly while the proportion of the elderly population is increasing rapidly. Furthermore, with the increased social activities among older people, there is a growing demand for aesthetic improvements, leading to a high interest in orthodontic treatment for older people in recent years. Elderly patients often face difficulties in extensively changing their occlusal relationship through conventional orthodontic treatment due to their vulnerable periodontal condition, missing teeth, and multiple prostheses. Therefore, they prefer aesthetic orthodontic treatment limited to the anterior region while maintaining the existing occlusion as much as possible. Clear aligners, commonly used for aesthetic improvement in the anterior teeth of adult patients, are likely to have extensive undercuts caused by the periodontal condition of elderly patients, making them difficult to insert or remove. It also exerts intermittent heavy forces, so it has a risk of excessive pressure on weakened periodontal tissue in elderly patients. We developed a method using two strands of light round NiTi wire and resin 3D-printed brackets to control tooth movement fast and precisely. This method can be used as an alternative to clear aligners for elderly patients who require precise root movement due to their weakened periodontal condition. Additionally, we would like to discover the possibility that digital orthodontics can serve as a window for orthodontists to communicate with other dental fields, such as prosthetics and periodontics, in treating interdisciplinary elderly patients.
