I need the rubber bands for my braces. ( Ich rede aus erfahrung:-))

hihi danke...ich hasse dieses ding :)

Umgangssprachlich auch: railroad tracks (scheint AE zu sein)

BE:

brace ist Zahnspange

braces sind Hosenträger

I have to disagree, Kamanita. braces ist zahnspange als auch hosentraeger. check this out in google: define:braces

# Suspenders worn to hold the pants up when a cummerbund is used.
www.regionalwedding.com/tuxedoterminology.htm

# a combination of bands around the molar teeth and brackets cemented to the front of the other teeth and all connected by archwires.
gwbraces.com/glossary.htm


# Dental braces are a collection of brackets (usually with a wire) that are used in orthodontics to correct alignment of teeth in the jaws of humans. Braces are often used to correct underbites, overbites, crooked teeth, and various other cosmetic and functional flaws of teeth. They can be used on one or both jaws, depending on where the flaws occur.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braces_(dentistry)

Ich glaube, dass das wieder einmal ein Problem BrE/AmE ist:
Zahnspange:
BrE: brace
AmE: braces

braces: BrE für Hosenträger
suspenders: AmE für Hosenträger

aber wenn man doch so'n ding oben und unten im mund hat sind das doch schon zwei, d.h. man sagt doch sicher auch im BE I wear braces. rather than I wear a brace?!?

Just had to add, I am Australian (in case you hadn't guessed);-) and had braces while I was going to a British school in Hong Kong.

Everyone I knew said braces ( and most of them had them too.. ahh those were the days...NOT!)

The "British Dental Health Foundation" calls them braces, and I've always heard them called that too.

Also try a search for 'brace dental' on google.co.uk with "pages from the UK" and note how all the first hits have "braces" in them, not "brace".

Für "Ich trage eine Zahnspange" würde ich "I wear a brace" sagen.

Das Plural heißt natürlich "braces".

Ich habe persönlich nie mehr als eine auf einmal getragen.

Aber das war BE.

I strongly disagree with "brace" singular;

webster's says (for brace, noun):
plural : an orthodontic appliance usually of metallic wire that is used especially to exert pressure to straighten misaligned teeth

The "plural" is important here. There is no singular in the dental sense.


It's like trousers. You can't put "a trouser" on.

Well, I had a look around google, and it seems the English language has indeed changed in the twenty years since I wore my brace ;-)

I just found a useful dictionary in the internet:

http://www.bracesinfo.com/glossary.html

Best regards,

brace [med.] die Zahnklammer [Zahnmedizin] (from Leo)
If you have more than 1 then of course it is braces but, 1 is a brace.

z.B. "I need rubber bands for my brace".

Siehe:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/brace

"A dental appliance constructed of bands and wires that is fixed to the teeth to correct irregular alignment. Often used in the plural."

I first had braces in the early 90s (and again this year!). I have never heard them refered to them in the singular (I am Australian).

I should probably start a new thread in Deutsch gesucht I know, but if anyone can help me with describing my new orthodontic appliance....

now that my braces have come off, I have to wear a "retainer" at night. It is made of plastic, does NOT sit on my palate, but ti covers my teeth in a similar way to a mouth guard that one would used when playing a contact sport. It does not move my teeth, it just keeps them in place.

How does one differentiate in German between the various forms of Zahnspange? Should I call it a herausnehmbare Zahnspange? Or is there a better expression?

I have to agree with the other British users, my sister wore a singular brace and I have never heard it referred to as braces. Braces for me are suspenders for Americans. Suspenders for us Brits are something different entirely.

I just read in Lonely Planet's "British Language & Culture" that Americans call a Zahnspange "braces" and the British call it 'a brace':

"Braces: in British English these are elasticated straps used for holding up trousers, called 'suspenders' in America. They wire for straightening teeth, which Americans call 'braces', is called 'a brace' in British English." (p. 146).