Editorial / Journal

Are our goals in orthodontics still up to date? Regardless of the technology used, every orthodontic treatment should be based on adequate diagnostics and precise planning. Today, practitioners have improved tools at their disposal for accurate diagnosis such that they are no longer dependent on just two usually handheld plaster casts, panoramic radiographs, cephalometric radiographs…

When economists think they can do orthodontics too The direct-to-consumer (DTC) era began in 2014 with the founding of SmileDirectClub in Nashville. Originally conceived as an exclusive distribution partner for Align Technology, the company decided to sell its own aligner product directly to end customers after a legal dispute. Images of the first SmileDirectClub studio…

Artificial intelligence and the value of human reason Artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay; it will continue to develop and take over an increasing number of tasks that were previously performed by humans. It is important to make clear that AI can be useful and helpful. We have published three articles on the topic…

How much consensus do we need, and how much consensus do we have in aligner orthodontics? „What can I know?“ was one of the main questions posed by Kant, along with „What should I do?“ and „What may I hope?“, and later „What is man?“, which he discussed in the book „Critique of Pure Reason“.…

Let’s think in a more interdisciplinary manner Interdisciplinarity is an integral part of orthodontics. In older orthodontic textbooks, we read about cooperating with ear, nose and throat specialists when dealing with young patients with impaired nasal breathing, about speech therapy and myofunctional therapy, and about orthopaedic connections to posture. There are also many reports on…

“You can’t do that. That’s not possible” In 2005, I treated my first child using aligner orthodontics, in this case the Invisalign technique. At that time, orthodontists were not licensed to treat children; we were not allowed to do it. Only after the eruption of all permanent teeth except the third molars were we able…

Why is orthodontics important? And is it necessary at all? There is evidence to prove that orthodontic treatment reduces anterior tooth trauma in proclined maxillary incisors. The development and consequences of caries lesions and periodontitis can be partially prevented by correcting tooth misalignment. The aesthetic improvement of the orofacial appearance that orthodontics offers enhances children’s…

Who, if not us? In this issue’s editorial, we are not discussing aligner orthodontics, nor orthodontics in general. Our topic is one that will concern us most now and in the next decades: climate change, or rather the climate catastrophe. But why us, and why should we concern ourselves with it? Artikel runterladen Zurück zu…

The reduction of being to information Social networks and social media are influencing a growing number of people and intervening in social life increasingly often. In 2021, an estimated 4.4 billion people worldwide were said to be using social networks. Many people now spend more time using social media than they do consuming news in…

Artificial intelligence: Curse or blessing? Artificial intelligence (AI) has permeated all our lives and made them more convenient in many regards. Almost every one of us has a smartphone equipped with weak AI. If our smartphone has face recognition, this function is enabled by AI. Our face is covered with 30,000 invisible infrared dots that…

Can we learn from the coronavirus pandemic? The coronavirus pandemic has had a dramatic impact on our lives for over a year now. While some businesses like online retail have recorded high profits, others like airlines, hospitality and the arts have suffered tremendously. Nevertheless, orthodontists in Germany have not experienced many difficulties. Artikel runterladen Zurück…

It is function that defines form With the advent of modern dentistry, it became increasingly necessary to define principles of order. Bonwill (1833–1899) had already postulated that occlusion should not be viewed statically and called for the dynamic function to be included, speaking of articulation instead of occlusion. His invention of the ‘Bonwill articulator’ shows…

Quo vadis aligner orthodontics? In the last editorial, James Mah outlined the development of aligner orthodontics very nicely. Aligner therapy has been around for a long time, but the breakthrough in modern aligner therapy was certainly due to Zia Chishti, who founded Align Technology in Sunnyvale, California, in 1997. Together with co-founder Kelsey Wirth and…

Interdisciplinary medicine and dentistry Orthodontics has always had an interdisciplinary impact in dentistry and medicine. The collaboration with otorhinolaryngologists specialized for children with oral respiration or speech-orthopedagogues and speech therapists for patients with speech disorders and tongue malfunction, is integrated in our practical work, as the correlating symptoms influence orthodontic treatment. Dentists and especially pediatricians…

For two decades! For most of us, the meteoric impact of Aligners on the stable world of orthodontics two decades ago will be vividly remembered. A new, revolutionary therapy, born of economic interests and made possible via the digitisation of orthodontic processes, began to disrupt the order of orthodontists. Many rejected this new form of…

It seems to him there are a thousand bars; and behind the bars, no world A year of the Journal of Aligner Orthodontics has gone by. We have been able to publish four issues that have made it possible for our readers to study articles on various subjects. First, I would like to thank you…

A German speciality, or a worldwide problem? The German Bundesrechnungshof, the external financial control for the German government, writes in his annual report (Spring report No. 09) – Urgent need to study the utility of orthodontic treatment: “The statutory health insurance funds spend more than €1 billion annually on orthodontic treatment. In particular, lacking orthodontic…

‘Smile’ is everywhere – where is the occlusion? Is a smile nowadays a synonym for aligner orthodontics or is aligner orthodontics a synonym for a smile? Most aligner companies put the aesthetic smile in the foreground. Most lectures at aligner congresses deal with a smile. If you search for orthodontics on the internet you will…

Digital orthodontics in the digital age Since 2000 we have lived in the digital age. In digital dentistry – particularly in orthodontics – the first digital orthodontic treatment procedure included tooth movement with newly developed software techniques and the production of removable splints. Based on these techniques, the production of removable aligners began in the…

Welcome to the Journal of Aligner Orthodontics Welcome to the new age of orthodontics, Aligner Orthodontics; welcome to the new era of digital orthodontics and welcome to our ever-growing aligner community. Seven international aligner societies are already members of the Journal of Aligner Orthodontics (JAO). Promoting collaboration between JAO and national societies was highly desirable…

Social networks and social media are influencing a growing number of people and intervening in social life increasingly often. In 2021, an estimated 4.4 billion people worldwide were said to be using social networks1. Artikel runterladen Zurück zu Editorial

Artificial intelligence is now involved in many aspects of our daily life. In digital orthodontic practice in particular, practitioners are constantly and mostly unknowingly confronted with different levels of implementations of artificial intelligence. Artikel runterladen Zurück zu Editorial

Within the framework of treatment planning for missing teeth, the fundamental question is how to offer long-term solutions. One option is to close the space with a prosthetic restoration such as a dental implant or fixed or removable partial denture. Artikel runterladen Zurück zu Editorial

Artificial intelligence (AI) has permeated all our lives and made them more convenient in many regards. Almost every one of us has a smartphone equipped with weak AI. If our smartphone has face recognition, this function is enabled by AI. Our face is covered with 30,000 invisible infrared dots that register every single feature. Learning…

With the advent of modern dentistry, it became increasingly necessary to define principles of order. Bonwill (1833-1899) had already postulated that occlusion should not be viewed statically and called for the dynamic function to be included, speaking of articulation instead of occlusion1. His invention of the ‚Bonwill articulator‘ shows how far ahead of his time…