There are two types of braces: fixed and removable
These are further subdivided into the following subcategories:
There are removable and fixed braces. Removable braces include:
- Plates:
Plastic braces in various colors for one jaw. They are designed, for example, to widen the jaw or move groups of teeth in a specific direction. - Functional appliances:
Plastic clasps in various colors that connect the upper jaw to the lower jaw. Commonly referred to as “double-decker” or “monoblock.” They are designed to alter the position of the upper jaw relative to the lower jaw and/or the function of the tongue, lips, etc. - Aligners:
clear plastic trays designed to move or hold the teeth in place.
Fixed braces can only be fitted and removed by an orthodontist. This means they work 24 hours a day. Fixed braces include:
- Brackets
, for example, made of metal or ceramic. They can be attached to the outer or inner surfaces of the teeth. - Hinges:
Rods that are attached to both the upper and lower jaws and are designed to reposition the lower jaw (similar to functional regulators). - Palatal expansion appliances:
These devices are used to expand the upper jaw in a short period of time. -
Mini-Pins:
Small “mini-implants” or “mini-screws” that are screwed into the jawbone to absorb or generate unwanted or desired forces in fixed braces.
What are braces? Why do you change the wires/arcs?
Brackets are those metallic-colored or clear stickers that the orthodontist attaches to your teeth, which most people call “fixed braces.” They allow the orthodontist to “grip” each individual tooth and move it in any direction. Think of it like a doorknob. When you want to open or close a door, you don’t just kick it, do you? Doing that could break the door, and besides, that’s not a very controlled way to operate it. Sometimes it’s open too wide, and other times maybe not wide enough. With a doorknob, however, you can open the door in a controlled manner—exactly as far as you want or need to.
So the bracket is like a doorknob. It helps move the tooth precisely. Now all that’s needed is someone who can grasp the doorknob and operate it using their muscle strength. Generally, we use our hand for this. In our case, the muscle strength of the hand is represented by the archwire. It connects all the brackets and applies force to them, and the brackets then transfer that force to the teeth in a controlled manner so that the teeth can move. You can open a door very quietly and carefully, or quickly and with a lot of force. In doing so, you control the force with your muscles. In our case, we control the force using archwires of varying strengths. Generally speaking, the thicker, more angular, and stiffer an archwire is, the more force it exerts. Since we orthodontists are sensitive and compassionate people, we naturally start with very light and gentle archwires and then gradually increase the strength. That’s why the orthodontist replaces the wires regularly.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask them in the comments. We’ll do our best to answer them, and don’t forget: wear your braces with pride!
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What are aligners, orthodontic trays, and Invisalign?
In addition to treatment with traditional removable braces and brackets, a method has become established that uses so-called “aligners” (or, in German, “Schienen”). In this treatment, the teeth are moved step by step using a series of thin plastic aligners that fit over the teeth.
The information about where and how the teeth should move is contained in the different shapes of these aligners, much like a sand mold from a sandbox. Depending on the misalignment of the teeth, a varying number of aligners are needed to correct the tooth position.
This form of therapy requires that you wear the aligners in your mouth for about 22 hours a day. So practically all the time, except when eating, brushing your teeth, or drinking anything other than water.
Since the aligners can be removed, brushing your teeth and eating are much easier than with fixed braces. Aesthetically, this method is relatively inconspicuous, which is why teenagers and adults in particular prefer it.
