ORTHODONTIC TREATMENTS

Beautiful straight teeth are not a question of age. Every orthodontist should therefore use all his experience to enable every patient to achieve an optimal orthodontic result with individually tailored treatment methods based on the latest scientific findings. And that is exactly our ultimate goal. The wishes and needs of the patient are our top priority.

Teeth influence the harmony of a face, they also shape language and personal charisma. Beautiful straight teeth are attractive, they signal health and zest for life, they are just as important for a healthy chewing function and optimal tooth cleaning.

Adjustments to the position of the teeth and jaws, including the stabilization phase that is usually required, generally extend over several years. Orthodontic patients, and possibly also their parents, must therefore patiently prepare for long-term care by the orthodontist.

This is due to the fact that in many cases growth is used for treatment and relatively weak biological forces are used for tooth correction in order not to damage the teeth and the periodontium. After completion of the treatment, it is usually necessary to stabilize the achieved result so that a relapse does not occur.

YOUR COOPERATION IS IMPORTANT

So that the therapy is successful and harmful side effects are avoided, e.g. B. the decalcification of the tooth enamel, damage to the tooth roots and the periodontium, your cooperation is very important. You can contribute to a faster treatment success yourself by wearing the appliances intensively and regularly and by following the instructions for optimal oral hygiene and by keeping the check-up appointments.

If you experience pain, lose or damage the appliance, or if the brace does not fit properly, you should visit the doctor’s office. Under no circumstances should you stop wearing the braces for a long period of time – for whatever reason (pain, illness, holidays, school camp, etc.).

Your smile means a lot to us!

INVISALIGN (INVISIBLE BRACES)

Treatment with Invisalign enables an effective and discreet treatment of misaligned teeth. The invisible braces are particularly popular with adult patients because the splints are hardly noticeable in everyday life and can be removed if necessary.

Invisalign is also a suitable therapy method for many young people. It is only in children that the aesthetic splint therapy cannot usually be carried out, since the Invisalign treatment requires that all permanent teeth are present.

WHAT IS THE INVISALIGN TREATMENT?

In contrast to the classic fixed braces, we use instead of brackets and wires for the Invisalign treatment, so-called aligners made of medical plastic. These splints are made individually for each patient and are adjusted and replaced at regular intervals to reflect the success of the treatment.

For the successful treatment of your misaligned teeth with Invisalign, however, it is absolutely necessary that you wear the splints every day for at least 22 hours. The aligners can of course be taken out of the mouth to eat, drink and brush your teeth. Normally, you will hardly notice that you are wearing braces.

FIXED BRACES (BRACKETS)

Fixed braces offer the advantage over removable braces that the teeth can be physically moved through the bone and not just tilted.

Experience has shown that the active treatment duration is 12 to 24 months. The fixed braces remain in the mouth for the entire duration of the active treatment.

TREATMENT: BRACKETS BRACES

The fixed braces consist mainly of brackets, which are glued to the teeth with a special dental adhesive. The brackets each have a small slot.

A wire (treatment arch) is pulled through this, which runs around the entire dental arch and is bent behind the last teeth. The bracket receives information from the slot in which direction the tooth should move.

DISCREET BRACES FOR ADULT PATIENTS

While classic fixed braces are not uncommon and widely accepted in children and adolescents, a discreet appearance of the braces plays a major role in adult patients – be it for social or professional reasons. In our practice, adult patients therefore find various solutions for wearing fixed braces as inconspicuously as possible.The possibilities range from tooth-colored brackets (transparent ceramic brackets) to lingual braces, in which the brackets are attached to the inside of the teeth and are therefore not visible at all from the outside.

TOOTH COLORED CERAMIC BRACKETS

Tooth-colored brackets, which are glued to the teeth from the outside, are very popular because they are hardly visible. Due to their high transparency, they are hardly noticeable on the teeth and are particularly preferred by adult patients.

FIXED BRACES FOR ADULTS

The individual brackets are attached to the outside of the tooth with a dental adhesive. Each bracket has a small slot that determines the direction of tooth movement. A wire is passed through each slot around the dental arch and bent at the end. The active treatment period for fixed braces is between 12 and 24 months.

LINGUAL BRACES

The lingual technique is an orthodontic treatment method in which the fixed brace (lingual brace) is attached to the inside of the tooth. The appliance consists of so-called brackets and a wire arch. The brackets are bonded to the inner surface of each tooth while the archwire is pulled through appropriate slots.

The hidden braces are therefore not visible from the outside and thus follow the

Many adult and adolescent patients wish for an invisible orthodontic variant. This makes lingual braces or invisible braces ideal for all patients who want a radiant smile without their private or professional environment noticing the treatment. The lingual technique is only used by a few specialized orthodontists – as in our practice.

MULTIBAND AND LINGUAL TECHNOLOGY: DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES

The teeth move with the same speed and efficiency on both braces. The differences are on the one hand in the aesthetics during the wearing time, since the lingual braces are not visible from the outside. On the other hand, the lingual technique treatment is associated with a higher effort, be it in terms of production in the laboratory, attaching the brackets or changing the archwires during the treatment period.

REMOVABLE BRACES

A removable brace is an orthodontic device that can be inserted and removed by the patient himself. The removable braces can correct slight jaw misalignments and are usually used on children.

The removable brace is a plastic plate with screws or springs that fits tightly to the inside of the teeth. Many wire clips go to the individual teeth from this plastic plate, which can be produced in desired colors. These brackets ensure the teeth are straightened.

Depending on the device, the plastic plate can stretch the jaw or move the teeth. However, the teeth can only be tilted with this type of braces. Crooked teeth can be corrected. If you want to change the teeth in their complete position, fixed braces should be used.

ORTHODONTIC SURGERY

Orthodontic surgery, also known as dysgnathia surgery or malocclusion surgery, is used to correct malocclusions. Its cause is usually a congenital malformation. However, they can also be caused by jaw fractures that have healed in a malposition or by remodeling processes in the area of ​​the jaw joints.

Affected patients suffer from a variety of different problems. These include impaired chewing function, premature wear of teeth, damage to the periodontium, speech disorders or chronic pain due to premature wear of the jaw joints.

In addition to these functional problems, larger jaw misalignments also result in aesthetic impairments, which can lead to great suffering, especially in adolescents.

Various jaw misalignments

Both the upper jaw and the lower jaw can be affected. There are malpositions in three dimensions: the sagittal malposition (progeny or overbite), the vertical malposition (open bite, covering bite), the transverse malposition (crossbite, scissor bite) or an asymmetry of the jaws to one another or to the rest of the facial skeleton.

Misalignments often occur in combination with one another. If the jaws grow incorrectly over a long period of time, this leads to compensatory unwanted tooth movements and tilting. This requires an accompanying orthodontic treatment. In exceptional cases, the correction of a misaligned jaw may also be necessary with a new denture or implants.

Children and young people are also affected

In childhood, a purely orthodontic treatment is often sufficient. In the case of malocclusions (dysgnathia) that cannot be treated in a stable manner purely orthodontically or that can only be treated with compromises in terms of function and aesthetics, a combined orthodontic-surgical treatment should be carried out in close cooperation between orthodontists, oral surgeons and, if necessary, the dentist. The optimal period for treatment in young adults is after growth is complete. However, successful treatment is still possible and useful later on.

TMJ TREATMENTS

HELP WITH CLACKING TMJ AND GRINDING TEETH

What does CMD mean and how does this disorder manifest itself?

CMD is the abbreviation for Cranio-Mandibular Dysfunction. What is meant by this is the disturbed interaction between the skull or upper jaw, lower jaw, jaw joints and chewing muscles. It is therefore a malfunction of the chewing apparatus, which can manifest itself in

• Teeth grinding, clenching and clenching
• TMJ popping and TMJ pain
• Restricted mouth opening or locked jaw
• Excessive wear of the teeth
• Increased tooth sensitivity to cold and heat
• Headache and temple pain
• Tension in the neck and neck muscles

Disorders in the jaw area can even affect the entire musculoskeletal system and cause a misalignment of the spine and pelvis.

The possible causes of cranio-mandibular dysfunction

The trigger for a cranio-mandibular dysfunction is usually a deviation from the normal clenching of the teeth, e.g. through tooth migration, tooth tilting or severe wear of the teeth. But not everyone whose teeth are misaligned will develop TMD.

This requires other causes, which are mostly to be found in the mental and psychological area, such as persistent stress, worries and fears, severe strokes of fate, exam anxiety and other stressful factors.

Only when both come together can cranio-mandibular dysfunction develop.

Treatment of craniomandibular dysfunction

• In the dental clinic

The first point of contact for problems with the jaw joints and the chewing muscles is usually the dentist. He can not only diagnose the CMD, but also carry out the first treatment, which is sufficient in many cases.

These include, above all, so-called bite aids. These are splints in various shapes that the patient wears temporarily (photo above). They avoid interfering contacts and enable correct clenching of the teeth. Sometimes dentures may also be necessary in order to produce normal teeth in the long term.

The dentist can also show (massage) exercises that relieve the jaw joints and relax the cramped chewing muscles.

• With orthodontics

If the jaw and teeth are severely misaligned, orthodontic treatment can be the best way to harmonize the jaw position and the clenching of the teeth in the long term.

As a result, the patient can often be spared a denture treatment to correct the position of the teeth.

By adjusting the teeth and jaws, the jaw joints are brought into their natural position and the teeth are arranged in the correct position in relation to one another.

• With physiotherapy or orthopedics

There is a close interaction between the masticatory and musculoskeletal systems: disorders in the masticatory system can cause misalignments of the spine and pelvis.

But also the other way around: misalignments of the spine and pelvis can lead to cranio-mandibular dysfunction.

In some cases, it can therefore make sense to consult a physiotherapist or orthopedist to treat CMD in order to treat possible causes such as a pelvic tilt or a curvature of the spine.