A new device (FAQ.FIX®) for orthodontic bracket placement in straight wire technique

BACKGROUND: In straight wire preadjusted appliances, all the information required to position the teeth in three planes is included in the brackets placed at the midpoint of the facial axis of the clinical crown, defined by facial axis point (FA). Central to this technique is the bracket placement.Preadjusted orthodontic appliances cannot get the right tooth position with a straight wire because of the inaccuracy of bracket placement. Horizontal, axis, vertical, and base are the most common bracket placement errors.The aim of this paper was to describe a bracket positioner to fix the brackets accurately (Q) on FA point (FAQ.FIX®) in direct or indirect bonding. METHODS: After the development of a prototype, a FAQ.FIX® along with a Bracket Placement Clinical Chart was developed and thus described. RESULTS: FAQ.FIX® along with the Bracket Placement Clinical Chart may facilitate the accuracy in bracket placement on FA point avoiding the most common bracket placement errors regardless the operator skill, even in particular or difficult case. CONCLUSIONS: FAQ.FIX®may represent a significant improvement in the bracket placement compared to the bracket eye and the traditional gauges positioning. Further studies will be needed to verify the clinical efficacy.