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. 2025 Jul 7:6:1639784.
doi: 10.3389/fdmed.2025.1639784. eCollection 2025.

Full-Digital Manni Telescopic Herbst: structural innovation and digital manufacturing

Andrea Boggio  1   2 , Mauro Cozzani  1   2 , Fabrizio Anelli  1 , Giorgio Gastaldi  1 , Antonio Manni  1   2
Affiliations

Full-Digital Manni Telescopic Herbst: structural innovation and digital manufacturing

Andrea Boggio et al. Front Dent Med. .

Abstract

Introduction: Skeletal Class II malocclusion, commonly characterized by mandibular retrusion, affects a significant portion of the population and presents challenges in orthodontic correction. The Herbst Appliance has long been used for mandibular advancement, but traditional designs often lead to undesirable dental side effects and mechanical complications. This paper introduces the structural innovation and digital manufacturing of Full Digital Manni Telescopic Herbst (MTH) Appliance, a structurally innovative and digitally manufactured system aimed at enhancing clinical outcomes and reducing treatment failures.

Materials and equipment: Utilizing a fully digital workflow, including CAD/CAM design, intraoral scanning, and additive manufacturing, the MTH appliance integrates a full-coverage mandibular splint, digitally designed and precision-engineered maxillary and mandibular components.

Results: The clinical implementation of the MTH appliance demonstrates excellent fit and high mechanical reliability, reducing lower incisor proclination and offering a proper vertical control. Complications such as debonding or fractures can be significantly reduced and digital reproducibility allows for fast component replacement when needed.

Discussion and conclusion: This design improves skeletal correction by enhancing anchorage, minimizing lower incisor proclination, and allowing precise vertical and sagittal control. The digital workflow not only improves fabrication accuracy and patient comfort but also facilitates easy component replacement and reduced chairside time. The MTH appliance sets a new benchmark in Class II treatment, blending digital precision with biomechanical effectiveness.

Keywords: Class II; Herbst; digital; functional treatment; manufacturing.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Full-Digital Manni Telescopic Herbst Appliance.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Maxillary component design: digital bands and transpalatal arch.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mandibular component design: digital bands and lower substructure.
Figure 4
Figure 4
STL hinge integration with virtual parallelometer.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The lower acrylic splint.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Virtual articulator used during the fabrication of the appliance.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Full-digital workflow of the appliance production.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Intraoral images of tache Full-Digital Manni Telescopic Herbst Appliance.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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