Dentistry and Oral Health

Abstract

The advanced active retainer (R2A) is a technique of fixed lingual orthodontics without brackets developed by the authors in the last 17 years. Because bracket-less, this technique is preferred by adult patients for the lack of discomfort to the tongue related to the brackets themselves and also for the good phonation since the earlier stages of treatment, resulting in an immediate comfort for the patient. The allignment by this technique is very fast and accurate too. A large series of cases treated with this technique will be presented, together with a brand new modality of a straight wire bracketless application that we call "ADAwire" (Antonio D’Alessandro wire). R2A  involves the use of wires immersed in a flowable composite. The wires employed are round nickel-titanium .014 and .016, round steel type Australian .016,  and finally rectangular steel .016/.022. The form of the wires is mushroom and straight, the latter especially developed in a new technique consisting of a wire passing through the bite rising (ADA wire). During a eleven years time, we performed over 300 bracketless treatments using the invisible wire technique. We have started to use it in the lower arch and soon after employed it also in the upper arch. The alignments desired were obtained  both by R2A and by ADAwire in a period ranging from 6 to 18 months. R2A has proved to be very fast, accurate and effective in all situations. Unlike the lingual orthodontics with the brackets, where the phase of the finishing is difficult to conduct, with R2A it is possible to obtain a very accurate finish of the case also in small details. Regarding the new ADAwire, it is unprecedented and opens new horizons in straightwire technique, also fitted with a remarkable speed and precise alignment.  We started treating relapses, but over time we realized that we was creating a real complete technique, applicable to all the malocclusions, including extraction cases. Given the positive results both in terms of efficiency and precision, and even in patients  tolerance, using a lingual technique outside the box, the question is mandatory: How important is the role of technology and how it is the role of the orthodontist  in lingual orthodontics?

Biography

Dr. Antonio D'Alessandro graduated with honors from the University of Naples in Medicine and Surgery in 1987, in 1991 he then specialized in Odontostomatology at the Dental Clinic of the Second University of Naples directed by prof . Valletta. He has been involved in vestibular but above all lingual orthodontics since 1988. he He has participated in numerous refresher courses in vestibular and lingual orthodontics. In 2005 he began to develop the R2A - Advanced Active Retainer technique which led him, in 2007, to be a speaker at the SIDO (Italian Society of Orthodontics) International Congress of Naples on the same topic.

In 2012 he presented the wire called "ADA wire", an absolute novelty in the field of lingual orthodontics, at the European congress of ESLO in Frankfurt. Dr. D'Alessandro is a member of SIDO (Italian Society of Orthodontics) and adviser of AEDI (Italian Academy of Dental Aesthetics.