Braces in the Centre of Hamburg
Being the ideal solution for the medicinal and aesthetical correction of malpositioned teeth, braces are not just suitable for children and teenagers but also for adults. An even line of teeth looks very appealing, but for many people malpositioned jaws or a lack of space stands in the way of a beautiful smile.
If the teeth can’t spread out properly, this can lead to crooked teeth and health problems like caries and an impaired ability to chew. In this case, braces are an excellent solution to correct crooked teeth.
The most important information at a glance
| Suitable for: | Children/teenagers as well as adults | |
| Anaesthesia: | No local anaesthesia necessary | |
| Durability: | Retention necessary | |
| Duration: | Depending | |
| Necessary if: | Aesthetical or functional malposition of the teeth |
Advantages of the Zahnklinik ABC Bogen
We rely on trust, knowledge and craftsmanship: In our dental clinic, the experienced orthodontist in Hamburg Dr. Lothar Huck offers numerous and efficient solutions to correct malpositioned teeth.
Main Focus of our Orthodontic Treatments:
- individual treatment concepts
- long-standing experience in treating adults
- discrete, almost invisible apparatuses
- Orthodontics for the improvement of prosthetic care/veneer treatment
Types of Braces
In order to meet the different needs of patients, in the past few years the spectrum of available braces has constantly grown. Generally, you can differentiate between permanent and removable braces – usually, the choice of treatment depends on the age of the patient, the degree of the malposition and the costs of the braces.
Permanent Braces
Usually, permanent braces consist of brackets that are bonded onto the teeth and connected with a special wire. That is how they exert gentle pressure on the teeth in order to reach the desired position over time.
Various types of brackets can be used to anchor permanent braces on the teeth. They are differentiated by how visible they are from the outside.
Metal Brackets
Being the standard orthodontical treatment when it comes to permanent braces, metal brackets are robust companions for your everyday life and are deployed with younger patients in particular. Metal brackets are visible, but because of their popularity they are perceived as normal amongst children and teenagers.
Ceramic Brackets
Ceramic brackets are suitable for adults that want or need a treatment with permanent braces. They are a very attractive type of braces as they are barely visible from the outside. They are deployed for the unobtrusive and effective correction of crooked teeth.
Self-Ligating Brackets
Self-ligating brackets got their name from a bracket mechanism that anchors the wire using a sliding clasp. That allows for more movement of the respective wires. Less friction means quicker results. The most established system of this kind of bracket is called Damon®–system.
Lingual Brackets
Being unnoticeable from the outside, the brackets are fastened onto the inside of the teeth using the so-called lingual method. They reliably correct the malposition of teeth and are invisible to the eye.
Incognito™ or Win ® Apparaturen
Being an appealing aesthetical solution, Incognito™- or WIN ®–braces are fastened behind the teeth and aren’t noticeable. They are suitable for any age, while their visual advantages make them the preferred solution for adults.
Lingual braces are custom-made, which is why we take an impression of your jaw or make a scan. Using a special software, these brackets and archwires are individually planned and custom-made for each patient.
Brackets can be made of gold or stainless steel. Especially if the patient is allergic to nickel, the Incognito™-braces (gold) are a suitable solution.
Removable Braces
Removable braces have the same function as permanent braces, but they can be removed at any time. Often, this means that the treatment takes longer. With this kind of braces, it takes time and patience to see results: Only after a longer period of time and daily application (of about 14 hours) it truly shows an effect.
Transparent Clear Aligners
Being comfortable to wear, transparent and hardly noticeable from the outside, aligners are particularly popular amongst adults. To manufacture an aligner (Invisalign), we take an optical scan and photos of your teeth. Afterwards, the data is used in the laboratory by Align Technology to develop a treatment plan. The doctor chooses the degree and pace of the correction of teeth. This guarantees that the treatment always is custom-made according to the individual situation of the teeth.
Retainer
Retainers are part of the aftercare: No matter which treatment was deployed beforehand, the stabilisation of your teeth in the aftermath is very important. During the so-called holding phase (retention), so called retainers are bonded onto the inside of the teeth to secure the achieved ideal position of the treated teeth.
The Procedure in Detail
When you come to us for the first time, we perform a precise examination. We examine your jaws as well as your ability to chew. This allows us to determine if orthodontic care is a possible solution for you.
If this is the case, we develop a personal therapy plan that reflects your wishes and needs. We see ourselves as experts that are always approachable for your questions and concerns.
Personal Consultation for Your Ideal Therapy
In many cases, more than one kind of braces can be used to correct the malposition of teeth. That is why, personal consultation is essential.
For you to be able to choose the optimal treatment, we inform you about modern means of orthodontics and the costs that are involved.
Exact Planning, Painless Insertion
Custom-made braces are planned and made in our laboratory using impressions, X rays and/or scans of your teeth. Afterwards, the finished braces are inserted using a completely pain-free procedure. Now, the jaw and the teeth have to get used to the braces which are a kind of foreign body in the mouth. During this stage, you might feel a light pressure that will disappear very soon. In the first few weeks your teeth could be more sensitive than usual.
Inserting Permanent Braces
As opposed to removable braces, permanent braces are pre-made and adjusted by the doctor immediately after they get inserted into your mouth. Using a special kind of glue, small brackets are bonded onto the outside or inside of your teeth and inter-linked with a wire.
Fastened onto the teeth, braces exert gentle but permanent pressure on the teeth and push them into the right position. In the beginning, this process can hurt a little as the teeth have to get used to the new conditions. However, thanks to the development of new types of braces these side effects could be significantly reduced.
Normal Symptoms after Braces Have Been Inserted
A little bit of pain caused by permanent braces is a common phenomenon. Depending on the kind of braces, it can come to the following symptoms:
- Sensation of pressure
- Minor pain
- Minor inflammation in the mouth
- Increased sensitivity of the teeth
These side effects are caused by the foreign body in your mouth, which braces and the brackets naturally are. The organism has to get used to them. Especially permanent braces can cause friction and reddening of the cheeks. Moreover, the tongue and lips can get irritated by the braces.
At an early stage, when brackets are perceived as particularly irritating, they can be covered by strips made of silicone wax. This will help to make the pain disappear quickly. Newer kinds of braces exert only little pressure on the jaw, which means that the uncomfortable sensation vanishes within a few days.
Duration of an Orthodontic Treatment
Once the braces are in place, they can start to effectively correct the malposition of teeth. For younger patients, the treatment lasts 1 to 1.5 years per kind of braces. For adults, the time to the desired outcome depends on more than one factor – for example, the severity of the malposition and the wishes of the patient – and therefore varies greatly form patient to patient (6-24 months).
Tips for Handling Your Braces
After you received your permanent or removable braces, an odd feeling can occur during your meals. That is why, it is advised not to eat any hard food in the beginning to avoid complications.
With permanent braces you should follow a few rules to maintain healthy and hygienic teeth.
Tips for the Ingestion of Food When Wearing Permanent Braces:
Sticky food: Liquorice, caramel sweets or chewing gums are difficult to remove from your braces. It makes sense to refrain from sweets or to eat them once a day only and clean your teeth immediately after.
Solid foods: Foods for which you need a solid bite should be cut into pieces beforehand and chewed cautiously. The same is true for nuts and other food.
Raw vegetables: Carrots should be chewed in small pieces as well, as the bite can detach the brackets from the tooth or bend the wires of the braces out of shape.
The Right Hygiene for Your Permament Braces
You can support the treatment and the long-term success of it by taking good care of your oral hygiene. Especially for permanent braces this is hugely important, as food can get stuck in the wires and brackets. Ideally, even removable braces should be cleaned once a day. If you don’t remove the food stuck in your teeth or braces, bacterial deposits can build-up and cause caries or inflammations of the gums. You can reduce this risk by thoroughly brushing your teeth every day.
Oral Hygiene with Permanent Braces
Step 1: Rinse your mouth with water to remove little bits of food.
Step 2: Thoroughly brush your teeth, ideally in a 45-degree angle so that the bristles can get beneath the wires.
Step 3: Use interdental brushes to get in-between and clean the narrow spaces between your teeth.
Step 4: Rinse again with water or mouth wash. Instead of an ordinary brush you can also use an electric toothbrush with your braces. Some models come with particular heads for the cleaning of your permanent braces. Do you have any questions? We are happy to consult you on how to clean your individual braces.
How to Clean Your Removable Braces
Cleaning and maintaining your removable braces is slightly easier than with permanent models. You can take your braces out daily and clean them with a tooth brush and tooth paste. The best results can be achieved right after you removed the braces because food can’t get stuck and odours can be avoided this way.
Costs of a Treatment with Braces
The degree of the malposition determines if the costs for the orthodontical treatment are covered by the statutory health insurance or not. In the case of a 3rd degree malposition, the costs of a treatment for children and teenagers under the age of 18 will be covered completely by the statutory health insurance. However, if you should wish for an innovative type of braces that is not included in the benefits catalogue of the insurance (BEMA, effective 2004), you have to pay the additional costs.
If the statutory health insurance covers the costs of a standard treatment (3rd degree and higher), you have to apply for it before the 18th birthday of your child.
Private insurances cover any degree of severity, and even innovative techniques.
Costs for Braces for Adults
The costs for individual braces are as diverse as the methods of modern orthodontics. Our experts will inform you about the costs after your examination. If you should wish to proceed with the suggested treatment, we develop a treatment plan for direct payers and private insurances.