Orthodontic Evolution: Why Treatments are Better than Ever

Orthodontic Evolution: Why Treatments are Better than Ever

By admin September 3rd

Orthodontics are a fairly advanced science in our day and age, with multiple treatment options available to patients for a number of conditions, be it straightening your teeth, realigning your bite, or expanding your palate. But orthodontics didn’t just up and exist one day in the form it is now. It is only after many years, centuries actually, of practice and research that orthodontics has become what it is today. Let’s take a look into the history of orthodontics and how new technologies and methodologies are making orthodontic treatments better than ever.

The Beginning of Orthodontics

The earliest evidence of orthodontic treatment goes all the way back to Ancient Egypt, with mummified remains being found with metal bands wrapped around the teeth, believed to be a primitive form of tooth straightening. In the 5th and 6th centuries B.C. the greek physicians Hippocrates and Aristotle recorded different theories for methods that could be used to straighten teeth.

In the early 1700’s, research by the French dentist Pierre Fauchard, known as the “father of modern dentistry,” led to his publishing of a medical text, The Surgeon Dentist in 1728. In this volume, he suggests that a series of “braces’ could be used on patients’ teeth to straighten and realign them. He was also the first to suggest that the straightening process would be easier performed in children than in adults due to children having smaller roots.

The First ‘Modern Braces’

It wasn’t for another 90 years, in 1819, that the first “modern” braces appliance was created by another French dentist, Christophe-Francois Delabarre. This consisted of a set of wire “cribs” which wrapped around the teeth in sets of two, in order to bring them together and set them in place. Over the next century, work by a number of professionals made advancements to improve the efficiency of treatment and comfort of patients. In 1843, Dr. Edward Maynard was the first to use elastics in combination with braces to help improve jaw alignment. In 1864 the dental dam was invented by Dr. S.C. Barnum, which helps protect the gums of patients as they receive braces. And in the early 1900s, Henry Albert Baker worked towards eliminating the need for dental extraction of select teeth to promote effective orthodontic treatment.

Overtime, the design, materials, appearance, and methodologies used in orthodontic braces changed and varied in a number of ways. It was in the 1970s however, that the true rendition of modern braces was first designed as we know it today, though they did include a few features which no longer exist.

Modern Orthodontics

Nowadays, orthodontics have come further than ever to offer fast, efficient, quality treatment for patients while maintaining high levels of comfort. Modern metal braces are more discreet than ever on their own, with alternatives like clear ceramic braces, lingual braces, which are placed on the tongue side of teeth, offering an added level of discretion for patients. These newer designs offer results in 1 to 3 years generally, much faster than their older counterparts. And with advancements in our knowledge of chemistry and biology, metal braces are now made out of 100% stainless steel, which is non-toxic as compared to certain materials used in the past.

On top of these is the newly emerging treatment option of clear aligner therapy. Clear aligners are a set of clear, medical-grade plastic retainers that are cast from molds made of your teeth, then altered slightly in stages by an orthodontic professional to apply pressure to the teeth and realign them over time. Clear aligners are almost invisible, have been shown to work faster and more effectively than metal braces in some cases, and are removable, making maintaining dental hygiene in patients much easier than with metal or ceramic braces. They offer a much higher level of comfort to the patient than even modern-day metal braces, eliminating the pokey and pointy wires and brackets from the equation. They also offer an alternative to traditional braces for those who may have certain medical circumstances preventing them from getting traditional braces.

It’s been a long time in the making, but these days the practice of orthodontics offers anybody easy and affordable access to a beautiful, healthy smile with its wide range of treatments and high level of advancement. Considering orthodontic treatment for yourself or your child? Contact us here at Elko Dental Specialists today to discover what treatment options will be the perfect fit for you, and see what great benefits orthodontics can offer.

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