Lingual and esthetic orthodontics

  • R. Romano
UK: Quintessence price £256.00; pp 704 ISBN 9781850972068 | ISBN: 978-1-8509-7206-8

Over the past 30 years, the average orthodontic patient age has increased dramatically and currently the adult patient is an important part of every day practice.

This has placed an increased demand on orthodontic science to develop new tools, materials and techniques that allow aesthetic and functional goals to be achieved in a shorter period of time, with a higher degree of comfort and without the obvious appearance of metal or ceramic brackets.

As the title of this hardback book suggests, this is an extremely detailed examination of the most up-to-date lingual and aesthetic orthodontic techniques available.

The book was edited and written by Rafi Romano, alongside an outstanding gathering of authors and contributors, many of whom are considered leaders in the field of lingual and aesthetic orthodontics.

Over the 692 pages of the book, the reader is guided through the different types of lingual and aesthetic orthodontic appliances available, laboratory techniques and tried and tested tips and tricks of treatment.

The book consists of six sections amongst which 42 chapters are divided. Each chapter is very in-depth and well illustrated with step-by-step clinical case photographs of the techniques described, making it very clinically relevant.

Chapters include 'Lingual orthodontics in a multidisciplinary practice' and 'Invisalign: effective and accurate treatment of a variety of malocclusions'. I found Chapter 33 particularly interesting, entitled 'Lingual orthodontic problems, their solutions and some clinical tips'. It was very informative and guided the reader from the initial contact with the patient through to the retention phase with great insight.

The information provided is evidence-based and there is an abundance of current research. All techniques are illustrated with cephalometric tracings, X-rays and clinical case photographs to demonstrate their effectiveness. This would therefore be extremely useful when deciding upon the clinical application of these techniques in future cases.

In summary, this is a comprehensive and clinically relevant textbook of lingual and aesthetic orthodontics. It is well structured and illustrated with excellent clinical photographs. It is therefore a must-read for those practising orthodontics.