Orthodontist in Munich: ortholoft in Schwabing

All three terms refer to the same treatment. We use Ormco’s SPARK—and it’s the only manufacturer’s system we use—because we don’t want to have a superficial grasp of three systems; we want to master one completely. Anything that can be produced on our own 3D printer, we make ourselves: anterior tooth corrections (three-to-three), replacement aligners, and finishing work following treatment with brackets—sixteen models per print run.

We no longer use impression material; instead, the scan takes about three minutes. You’ll then see a simulation of the planned tooth movement on the screen before you make your decision, and we’ll also explain what this simulation doesn’t show.

After that, you’ll switch out your aligners every ten days and come in for a checkup every eight to ten weeks. Since these appointments rarely take longer than a quarter of an hour, many people schedule them during their lunch break; it’s just two tram stops from Maxvorstadt and from LMU on Georgenstraße.

Clear aligners are barely noticeable in everyday life. When you’re talking to someone, they usually don’t even notice them, though you may feel the aligner for the first few days. If aligners aren’t sufficient, we’ll let you know and suggest the lingual technique or fixed braces. Touch-ups are usually included, and a retainer is part of the treatment anyway.

We won’t provide specific amounts until we’ve reviewed your medical findings. However, we can tell you in advance how we’ll bill you: We offer fixed prices based on three levels of complexity, and no additional items will be added during treatment. Along with the treatment and cost plan, you’ll also receive a summary written in plain language so you know what you’re paying for before you sign.

For children and adolescents, the KIG classification determines who pays. Starting at Level 3, the public health insurance plan covers standard care; below that level, parents are responsible for the costs themselves. For adults, public health insurance plans generally do not cover the costs, while private plans may cover them depending on the policy. We are a network provider and treat patients with public health insurance, private insurance, and self-pay patients equally.

We include a number of services in our price that cost extra elsewhere. Ceramic brackets cost the same as metal ones; our fixed orthodontic treatment includes four professional teeth cleanings per year; our aligner treatment includes refinements; and the retainer comes with a two-year warranty. You can pay in full and receive a 3% discount, or in up to 24 interest-free installments, with no credit check.

Because aligner treatment for adults is almost always a service patients must pay for out of pocket, the fixed price is often a more important factor than the distance. That’s why patients come to us from Garching and Domagkpark, even taking the U6 to get here.

We don’t start with a splint, but rather with a functional analysis. During this process, we measure mouth opening, assess lateral and forward movement, and palpate the temporomandibular joints and masticatory muscles, including the masseter, medial pterygoid, and temporalis. Only then do we make a decision, following a specific sequence.

The first step is a bite splint—either a standard splint covered by insurance with a copay, or a Michigan splint customized to the temporomandibular joint. If that is not sufficient, we add accompanying physical therapy. Only as a third step do we administer botulinum toxin into the masticatory muscles, at the earliest one to two weeks after the splint is fitted.

Botulinum toxin is often offered as a standalone treatment for teeth grinding, but that’s not how we do it. The treatment weakens the chewing muscles but does nothing to address the underlying cause, and without a mouthguard, its effects are limited. That’s why, for us, it’s the last step in the treatment cascade.

Patients usually come to us with a clicking or grinding sensation in the temporomandibular joint, one-sided jaw pain, pain that radiates to the ear, or jaw muscles that are already tense upon waking. This does not necessarily mean that a diagnosis of craniomandibular dysfunction has been made. And there is no guarantee of relief from symptoms with CMD; anyone who promises this is going beyond what the research evidence supports.

We bond self-ligating Empower brackets from American Orthodontics, and we charge the same price for both metal and ceramic brackets. About ninety percent of our teenage patients still opt for metal brackets, usually in colored versions. Before bonding the brackets, we seal each tooth with BracePaste to prevent white spots from forming around the brackets—and we do this for every patient, not just those at risk.

The treatment involves five arches: first, a round arch and two straight arches made of thermoelastic nickel-titanium, followed by two straight arches made of steel. The arches are changed every six to eight weeks, and we deliberately use low forces. We allow sixty to ninety minutes for both the bonding and the removal of the bands.

For teenagers, daily life plays a role. Our first teenage patients come from the Gisela Gymnasium and the Oskar-von-Miller-Gymnasium in Schwabing-Freimann, and for both schools, an appointment fits in between the end of school and practice. Because these short appointments need to go quickly, we have a room with two chairs.

Fixed braces are typically worn for one and a half to two years. They are the standard treatment for adolescents, but they are also effective for adults and are superior to aligners when teeth are severely rotated or when the bite itself needs to be corrected. We usually see children for the first time around age six, but treatment typically begins in earnest at age eleven.

With aligners, treatment typically takes about twelve months; with fixed braces, it takes one and a half to two years. In between, checkup appointments are scheduled every six to ten weeks, and you’ll schedule your next one as you leave the office. Before treatment even begins, there are three appointments: an initial consultation, a treatment plan discussion one to two weeks later, and then the start of treatment.

After that, the retention phase begins, and from a technical standpoint, that is the most important part for us. We fabricate the fixed retainer using a digital workflow, from scanning to modeling and bending to placement. It is permanent; we check it once a year, and we provide a two-year warranty on the retainers we place.

These days, you can achieve straight teeth with any modern orthodontic appliance. But they’ll only stay straight with a treatment plan. That’s why we address retainer emergencies on a daily basis—including, specifically, patients who have never been treated by us before. Just give us a call, and via Scheidplatz, you can reach us from almost anywhere in the city in just over half an hour.

Both. As an orthodontic practice in Munich, Ortholoft is contracted with health insurance providers, so patients with public or private insurance are just as welcome here as those paying out of pocket. For patients with public insurance and those paying out of pocket, the initial consultation is free of charge and lasts half an hour.

What the public health insurance plan covers depends on the KIG classification—that is, on the severity of the malocclusion. We determine this classification during the initial consultation. You will then receive the treatment and cost plan, preceded by a summary written in plain language so you can see which services are covered by insurance and which costs you will have to pay yourself.

The additional cost of fixed braces or aligners depends on the complexity of the treatment. We bill for additional services and anything not covered by health insurance at fixed rates based on three levels of complexity. You can pay in a lump sum—in which case you’ll receive a discount—or in interest-free installments over up to twenty-four months, with no credit check required.