Interesting Facts From the History of Orthodontics

Although dental problems have surely been a problem for humanity before recorded history, the earliest evidence we have of practices resembling orthodontic work comes from ancient Egyptians, Etruscans, Greeks, and Romans.

Archeologists have uncovered bodies (including mummies!) preserved with metal or gold wire wrapped around and through their teeth. Though this may sound similar to modern braces, they were likely used for burial practices instead of dental application. Their purpose was to preserve teeth in place for burial ceremonies instead of to improve their bite while alive.

The dead of ancient Egyptians have also been found with metal bands around their teeth made from the guts of animals, according to The American of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. According to Smiles Change Lives, these bands may have been used to apply pressure to teeth, much like modern braces.

Around 400 B.C., The Greek philosopher Hippocrates authored some of the first categorizations of tooth ailments. It was not until hundreds of years later that orthodontic progress was made, when the Roman author Aulus Cornelius Celsus used his finger to apply pressure to reposition teeth over time. Around the same period in Rome, Pliny the Elder invented an early version of filling in damaged teeth to their original size.

Fun fact: Hippocrates is considered foundational to modern medicine, and the Hippocratic oath is named after his ideas.

Evidence of orthodontic work that more closely resembles today's practices experienced an enormous amount of progress in the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in Europe.

• Matthaeus Gottfried Purmann and Phillip Pfaff both implemented rudimentary versions of dental impressions by taking wax and plaster to create molds from patients’ teeth, according to the History of Orthodontics.
• Pierre Fauchard (born 1728) is considered greatly influential to modern orthodontics for his bandeau invention, a horseshoe-shaped metal appliance that expands the palate. He also contributed other groundbreaking work through his famous book titled The Surgeon Dentist.
• The dentist to the King of France, Etiene Bourdet (born 1722), is also considered to be foundational to modern orthodontics. He famously remedied tooth crowding by extracting teeth to create space. According to the NYU Dental School, he wrote multiple books outlining major contributions and research into dentistry.
• Christophe-François Delabarre (born 1787) helped separate overcrowding by inserting threads and wedges between spaces.

Of course, many of these practices would be considered crude by today's standards but were a huge leap forward for the time.

Orthodontic work performed worldwide was continued in the United States, and techniques continued to advance closer to their modern, more refined counterparts.

• J.S. Gunnell became famous for his invention of the occipital anchorage device in 1822, a predecessor to headgear, according to AbiLogic.
• According to the NYU Dental School, Chapin A. Harris and Horace Hayden established what is considered the first dental school. Harris also published an important work known as the Harris' Dental Art: A Practical Treatise of Dental Surgery.
• Edward Hartley Angle is considered the “father” of modern orthodontics, according to the Angle Orthodontist. He is known for a wide range of accomplishments in the field, including establishing the first educational program to train specialists in orthodontics and developing the prefabricated orthodontic appliance system.