Written by Chapin A. Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber in , and before long, orthodontists realized its potential. Just a few years later, E. Tucker became the first American dentist to use rubber in orthodontic appliances. Although dentists would make tremendous strides in understanding how the teeth and jaws worked over the next century, braces themselves remained more or less unchanged for quite some time.
Most were made from materials like gold, platinum, silver, steel, gum rubber, or vulcanite, but early orthodontists would sometimes turn to ivory, zinc, copper, brass, or even wood instead.
Up until the s, orthodontists anchored brackets by winding wires around each individual tooth. The invention of dental adhesives allowed them to switch to sticking brackets to the surfaces of the teeth instead. Meanwhile, stainless steel replaced gold and silver as the most popular choice for wires thanks to its shapeability, significantly reducing the cost of braces costs, and making them more widely available.
Humans have been striving for a healthy, functional smile going back thousands of years, and well-aligned teeth and jaws are as important today as they were in the time of catgut and bandeaus!
With three conveniently located offices across Memphis, our skilled staff are able to provide the best in orthodontic service for patients of all ages. Whether it is an early orthodontic examination for your young child, a complimentary consultation for your teen, or learning what benefits orthodontics have to offer you as an adult, SCO is the place to be.
The History Of Braces September 25, 4 min read. Barnum created the modern dental dam. Our dentists still use a version of the dental dam today. It is a thin piece of latex that fits around the teeth, protecting the gums from work being done on the teeth.
It is crucial in orthodontics to be able to fit braces which until recently were made of metal without damaging the gums. Henry A. Baker was the first to combine many of the previous techniques and make modern braces, well, more modern. Braces continued to change radically through two world wars and into the age of computers.
These wires were tightened to adjust the teeth over time, and boy was it unpleasant. Dentists used whatever materials they could at the time. Everything from ivory to zinc was popular.
Nothing was more popular than gold, and even today many of our dentists use gold for certain procedures. The ability to heat gold under relatively low temperatures and mold it into shape made it ideal for dentists, and its value and appearance made it attractive for patients of modern braces.
Just kidding, gold braces were pricey, but not that pricey. Several breakthroughs, like the advent of stainless steel and dental adhesive to the front of the teeth, made getting braces significantly less painful or damaging. The effects also improved and the timetable for how long you would have to wear braces was shortened. This was the true birth of modern braces.
Can you imagine Rose flying at the front of the titanic with wires in her teeth? Gunnell invented the "occipital anchorage". This device anchored to the top and back of the head at one end, attached to the jaw at the other, and utilized the resulting resistance to exert gentle pressure on the teeth.
In the early s, Edward Angle invented various tools and appliances to help standardize orthodontics, which previously relied on custom-made tools for each patient.
Throughout much of the 20th century, braces consisted of brackets anchored to wires wound around each tooth. It wasn't until the invention of special dental adhesives in the s that brackets could be anchored directly to the surface of teeth, which remains standard practice for traditional braces.
The next big breakthrough came in , with the invention of clear plastic retainers known by the trade name "Invisalign". This process uses a series of removable retainers to gradually shift teeth into their desired positions. At Stroope Orthodontics, we offer Invisalign, traditional metal braces, translucent ceramic braces, and accelerated braces. To find out which option is best for you, contact us today to schedule a consultation. We look forward to helping you feel and look your absolute best!
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