On a person’s profile, the nose is the organ that dominates the middle portion of the face. Orthodontic/ braces treatment can significantly influences the way the nose suits the face. The orthodontist needs also to take in consideration the nasal anatomy and morphology to achieve optimum results in orthodontic/ braces treatment.The different components of the nose are the radix, nasal dorsum, nasal tip, columella and nasolabial angle.
The radix is the part on a patient’s profile that orthodontists usually correlate with soft tissue nasion. Radix projection is a separate but essential aspect of nasal esthetics. It is measured in terms of the nasofrontal angle.
The nasal dorsum is also called the bridge of the nose. The upper half of the dorsum is made of nasal bones. The lower half of the dorsum is made of cartilages called the upper lateral cartilages.
The nasal tip is the most frontal point of the nose, and the supratip is just cephalic to the tip. The supratip break is the region just cephalic to the nasal tip where the lobule meets the dorsal of the nose. The double break represents the angular formation of the nasal tip carilages created by the supratip, tip and infratip.
The columella is the segment of the nose between the base of the nose (subspinale) and the nasal tip. It is composed of the cartilaginous nasal septum and membranous septum.
The nasolabial angle is the angle formed by the labial surface of the upper lip at the midline and the columella. It is a measure of the relative protrusion of the upper lip.
