There are 3 messages totalling 11931 lines in this issue.

Topics in this special issue:
1. Retainer Stories!
2. Interesting pano
3. Re: Ectopic molars

Several years ago a neighbor boy who I had known since birth came in with a Hawley retainer broken right down the mid palatal suture area.  Story: " I dropped it in the sink while brushing" .  I produced a similar retainer and challenged him to throw it as hard as possible into a sink, which he proceeded to do several times.  We then graduated to the tile floor and once again unable to duplicate the fracture.  Finally, " I may have stepped on it".  

Joe Brenner

Hi everyone,
Took a panoramic radiograph on a 13 year old male today, and look what I saw.  Patient has an end-on occlusion.  Besides removing deciduous teeth, any suggestions??

Great series John.  This is the same way that I deal with these teeth, but I do not use the Nance button.  Even after using the "E" with resorbed roots as my anchorage system, the tooth is still stable post-treatment.  The only other option that I have found great success in would be shaving the distal aspect of the primary second molar.  I started doing this after attending the AAO conference on Early Treatment in Phoenix 3 or 4 years ago.  I am very conservative with regards to early treatment and found this to be a wonderful alternative in situations like this.  I have the GP shave the distal aspect and then I come in 4 weeks later and add separator.

Happy Holidays ,
Mark