The evolution of maxillary protraction techniques in the early management of Class III malocclusion

Appliances and techniques prescribed in the early management of Class III malocclusion have varied throughout the years. Earlier, tooth-anchored protraction facemask therapy was prescribed to correct the skeletal maxillary deficiency associated with Class III malocclusion. More recently, bone-anchored mechanism for maxillary protraction has been introduced and it has been used in conjunction with the conventional facemask or Class III elastics. Proponents of orthopedic treatment highlight the importance of early treatment and improvement of the skeletal discrepancy which, in turn, would minimize the severity of future dental compensation, establish proper occlusal function, possibly eliminate the need for orthognathic surgery, and provide pleasing esthetics. Therefore, this article revisits the various protraction protocols (tooth-borne) vs bone-anchored) used in the early management of Class III patients. Its main focus is to describe the efficacy of timely intervention of the different protraction techniques.