Orthodontics In The 18th Century

Over the years braces have improved drastically, taking off in the late 18th century and continuing to advance into modern day times. Although orthodontics started out as a cosmetic adjustment, it now has been seen also for regulating occlusion and stability of the mouth. There is evidence showing that orthodontic appliances have been found with Greek and Etruscan artifacts, and archaeologist have found Egyptian mummies with metal bands wrapped around individual teeth in what is believed to be in place to apply pressure to teeth to adjust them. With research and adjustments many improvements have been made over the years to better orthodontic appliances, they have also become more easily attainable to people all over the world.

In the early years of orthodontics there was little research and knowledge on what was actually taking place and happening when applying pressure to the teeth. Through trial and error and many ideas it has evolved and become much simpler, although a lot of the same concepts are still in place. In the 18th century the leading country in the field of dentistry was France, lead by a man named Pierre Fauchard who introduced the bandeau. The bandeau is an expansion arch with a strip of metal in a horseshoe shape where the teeth are ligated to, this became the basis for

For the bands, wires, clasps, spurs and ligatures, 14-18 karat gold was used. With these being the materials used for braces it was expensive, at the time braces where not as common and usually only found on the more wealthy individuals. In the 1970s there were many advancements in orthodontics, the bonded bracket and self ligating brackets were introduced, also the use of stainless steel for materials. This was a relief to patients and dentists, reducing the cost of braces and the material was extremely flexible and easy to manipulate for the