Professor Dr. Andrea Wichelhaus
| 1990 – 1999 | Assistant Professor and Alternate Director of the Division for Orthodontics, Ulm University, Germany |
| 1995 | Walter-Engel-Price: recognition of scientific developments in orthodontics |
| 1995 | Price for best annual publication of the German Society for Orthodontics/Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kieferorthopädie, “The development and testing of a new NiTi-SE-steel uprighting spring” |
| 1996 | Habilitation, PhD, Ulm University, Germany |
| 1996 | Research Fellow at the Harvard University, Department of Orthodontics, Boston, USA |
| 1999 – 2008 | Director and Chairperson, Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, University of Basle, Switzerland |
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since 01.09.2008
2013 |
Director and Chairperson, Department of Orthodontics, Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), Medical Center, Munich, Germany
Launch of a new company called “redsystem”
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REASEARCH FOCUS
- Biomechanics of the oro-facial system: in vivo and in vitro studies on tooth movement
- Development and testing of new orthodontic appliances
- Biocompability testing of orthodontic materials
- Clinical studies
- Clinical application of biomechanics
- Mechanobiology and genetics
PUBLICATIONS / ORAL SCIENTIFC PRESENTATIONS / LECTURING / CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES
- over 100 publications and over 400 national and international oral scientific presentations, lectures and continuing education courses
TEXTBOOK “ORTHODONTIC THERAPY – FUNDAMENTAL TREATMENT CONCEPTS
- Textbook “Orthodontic therapy – fundamental treatment concepts” has been published in five languages
Lecture 1: “New innovative geometries in biomechanics”
The straight wire technique, developed by Andrews in the 1970s, is based on the anatomic conditions of the teeth. The integration of first, second and third order bends into the bracket system has significantly facilitated the orthodontic therapy and made sliding mechanics possible. A dynamisation of the straight wire therapy was striven for by applying different prescriptions and slot dimensions. Recent clinical investigations show that this is only possible to a quite limited extent. Besides active movements along the arch, deficits of the straight wire technique manifest also in the finishing phase in the poor transmission of corresponding torque. In recent years, the individualization of the straight wire technique has been further developed when applying digitalization and indirect bonding. Studies show, however, only a short reduction of the treatment duration and no improvement of the clinical result. Reasons for this are the limited predictability of the biological reaction, the slot geometry (rectangular slot), manufacturer´s tolerances and the use of a mechanically rigid bracket system.
A dynamisation of the orthodontic therapy was achieved by a newly developed bracket system made from Nickel-Titanium alloy in combination with a new slot geometry (redystem). The so-called “V-slot mechanics” in combination with a superelastic alloy allow the transmission of dynamic and small moments. Thus, the V-slot mechanics represent an entirely new treatment approach in orthodontics, leading to a “biologisation” of the treatment together with a biomechanical individualisation.
Lecture 2: “Interdisciplinary treatment of complex patients”
The treatment of complex patients requires not only close cooperation between the individual dental disciplines, but in many cases also specific orthodontic therapy with individual biomechanics in order to be able to treat patients in a minimally invasive manner. In particular, patients with hypodontia / aplasia and / or form anomalies of the teeth or patients with severe dysgnathia are affected by this. Therapy with aligners or straight wire technique with sliding mechanics alone is not sufficient. Modified sliding mechanics with fixed orthodontic appliances and the application of targeted moments are orthodontically necessary to achieve favorable conditions for subsequent conservative or prosthetic reconstruction. Due to digitalization and further development of materials both in the field of orthodontics and reconstructive dentistry and prosthodontics, these cases can be solved nowadays with a high aesthetic standard. The therapy and the use of the materials for the patients can be biologically differentiated between adolescent patients (up to age of 18), young adults (up to age of 18 – 30), adults age of 30 – 60 and adults age of 60 and over 70.