Trial equilbration of an Anterior Open Bite following
successful NTI therapy

 
The patient originally presented in 1994, complaining of chronic headaches and neck pain. The photos above are of her original jaw relationship.  An NTI-type device was delivered.
Contact was lost with patient until 2003.  Patient has continued to be asymptomatic since original delivery, and now presents with an anterior open bite. The Discluding Element had been added on to several times during the first several months of use, and continues to use the device shown nightly.
Mounted models in current presentation. Protrusive alignment.
The models were equilibrated on the articulator in a protrusive relationship.  The therapeutic goal is to provide incisal biting. The modified models in protrusive relationship.
The modified models in CR. The resultant occluding relationship does not provide for "canine rise", however, it is not necessary due to the night presense of the NTI.
The patient's first desire was to improve her quality of life.  When the trial model equilibration was presented (although the reduction of the posterior teeth was (surprisingly) conservative and would have provided incisal biting ability), the patient still elected to post-pone (perhaps indefinitely) any dental equilibration, stating her life was doing just fine, but thanks anyway.