Braces treatments are carried out too often, too early, for too long and too poorly. A reckoning with orthodontics.
The reveals major deficiencies in orthodontics. More than 50 percent of children in Germany are prescribed braces – clearly too many, conclude the authors of the care study, pointing to “lack of precision in the assessment of the need for treatment.” Girls are treated even more often than boys; in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg around two thirds of them wear braces. “Beauty ideals, peer pressure and parental care” are probably the reasons for this, says Christoph Straub, CEO of the Barmer health insurance company, putting his finger on the sore spot. For a long time, many people have criticized the fact that statutory health insurance companies spend too much money on orthodontic treatments. In a significant proportion of cases, these are probably not indicated for medical reasons, but at most for aesthetic reasons. However, the solidarity community of statutory health insurance holders is not responsible for cosmetic procedures.
This article was published in 2019, but after a critical review by the author, it is as relevant today as it was then. The pseudo-religious and highly controversial ideology behind the “ideal occlusion”, according to which 95 percent of children in a year group would need orthodontic treatment, dates back to the 19th century and miraculously found its way into the German Dental Act of 1952. The legal basis for the overtreatment in orthodontics that is criticized today was already laid then.
Henning Madsen’s “Gallery of Horrors” is stored in the basement of the apartment building in Ludwigshafen where he runs his practice. There, in narrow cardboard boxes, are the impressions of the human teeth of 40 patients. Behind each one lies a story of suffering. For seven years, the orthodontist has been using the collection to document the failures of professional colleagues. The box on the desk in his office bears the number 1770, a current case. “Here is the earliest impression of Marion*, now 19 years old and in our treatment for three months. It is from 2008, she was seven years old. And what has my colleague achieved?” Madsen picks up another impression, dated October 22, 2018: “More crooked teeth than back then! Ten years after starting treatment!” All of the plaster casts come from patients like Marion. After years of wearing braces with no results, all of them ended up in his practice with their desperate parents. “Why? Because the insurance companies pay for orthodontics for up to four years without any problems, and they simply exhaust that time. After that, it can even be extended for another four years.”
Again and again, Madsen discovers the same tricks that colleagues use to waste therapy time.
Source: Stern
I’m Caroline, a journalist and author for 24 Hours Worlds. I specialize in health-related news and stories, bringing real-world impact to readers across the globe. With my experience in journalism and writing in both print and online formats, I strive to provide reliable information that resonates with audiences from all walks of life.
