Types of braces
Removable Appliances are available in many different forms, depending on the goal of the treatment. A special type of removable appliances is retainers, which are used at the end of a treatment to stabilise and keep the teeth in their new position.
Fixed Appliances are metal or tooth-coloured brackets that are attached to the teeth. Metal brackets are used most frequently, and they have many advantages. They are wear-resistant, whereas tooth-coloured brackets are brittle and break more easily.
Fixed appliances on the back of the teeth are called Lingual Braces or Invisible Braces. They are available in metal form only, and they cannot be seen when you are talk or open your mouth. This treatment requires extra effort from the orthodontic assistant, because accessibility is limited.
Because Invisible Braces are placed on the backside of the teeth, it is common for the patient to go through an adjustment period after fitting while the tongue gets used to the new appliances.
Invisalign is a computerised virtual tooth moving system designed to correct minor malocclusions. The output consists of a series of transparent removable appliances (splints), each moving the teeth a minor distance. Each splint straightens the teeth according to the computerised prescription. The splints are changed as the teeth straighten. When the last splint has done its job the treatment is complete. Invisalign treatment often requires slight enamel reduction between the teeth.
Naturally, Invisalign only works when it is in the mouth. The treatment takes about 9-18 months, depending on how much the teeth need to be straightened.
Orthognathic surgery
Orthognathic surgery is necessary when the malocclusion (or “bad bite”) is caused by an extreme growth (development) of the jaws. The Danish National Board of Health has decided that the treatment of these patients is a hospital procedure. The treatment begins after the patient’s jaws are fully-grown and the patient has undergone a consultation at a Maxillo-Facial department in a hospital.
Usually the treatment starts with fixed appliances (1½ year) before the operation. This is to establish perfect dental arches that will fit together after the operation. The purpose of the operation is to correct jaw deviation, so that the perfected dental arches fit together when the patient bites down considering the facial appearance in general. Following the surgery, the occlusion is fine-tuned and adjusted with the existing fixed appliances for about six months after the jaw operation. After the fine-tuning phase and removal of the fixed appliance, the desired treatment outcome is stabilised with retainers.
Please note that the Danish National Health Service covers this procedure, so the patient does not pay out of pocket.