The Surgeon Dentist

Braces were not invented until the 1800s, but having the idea straight teeth dates back to the ancient Egyptians. Archaeologists have found the mummified remains in and around Egypt, with what seems like an attempt to close gaps between teeth. The remains have a cord prepared from a catgut, or animal intestines, wrapped or run along teeth almost like todays orthodontist run wire along the teeth to close the gaps. The American Association of Orthodontists has found tools from the Greeks and Etruscans, which means orthodontic practices started as early as 1000 B.C. Archeologists found out that the way the Etruscans buried their people included the placement of a device similar to a mouth guard in the dead person’s mouth. The device helped keep

The attachment made an effort to make the teeth move and close off gaps that were noticeable. Before braces could be introduced to the public, a lot of medical and dental research had to be done. Dental and the concept of orthodontic braces started to appear in medical journals and books around 1770. The Surgeon Dentist is a dental book by Pierre Fauchard that was published in 1728. Fauchard was a French dental surgeon known for his different approach to dentistry. What made The Surgeon Dentist stand out was the chapter devoted to orthodontics. The chapter traveled around the ideas of how to straighten teeth, but focused on the new concept of the “Bandeau.” The “Bandeau” is a tool shaped like a horseshoe the helps keep the place of the normal arch of the teeth and mouth. The Dentist’s Art is a medical book peened in 1775 by the dentist to the King of

There were two medical theories very big in The Dentist’s Art. The first theory was that the teeth in the back, wisdom teeth, could be taken out to prevent overcrowding and misalignment. The second theory was the improvement of the “Bandeau.” The term “braces” was not really used until the 1990s. Dentist worked hard to make and make better the methods and techniques used to straighten teeth. Orthodontics saw great advances between the early 1800s and 1890. In 1819, Christophe-Francois Delabarre made the first wire crib. The wire crib is a half circle device that can be placed directly on teeth with hopes of the teeth staying aligned. Wire cribs are an early model to the dental brace, being thought of from the people as the first step to modern day orthodontics. In 1843, Dr. Edward Maynard was the first to use gum elastics to correct the alignment of the jaw. The material would be connected to the wiring in the mouth to move the jaw until it was properly aligned. In 1864, a New York dentist by the name of Dr. S.C. Barnum made the first dental dam. Used during the application process, dental dams are latex sheets that keep the teeth dry while the teeth are getting worked