Orthodontics Through the Ages
A Legacy Older Than You Realize
When most people think about orthodontics, they assume it’s a relatively modern invention. While watching documentaries about the past or looking through old photographs of family members, you won’t notice anyone wearing braces or Invisalign. That doesn’t mean orthodontics didn’t exist decades or even centuries ago. In reality, humans have been looking for innovative ways to straighten their teeth and improve their oral health for thousands of years. The earliest evidence of orthodontic work came from ancient Egypt. Humans have uncovered mummies with cords made from animal skin wrapped around their teeth. On the other side of the Mediterranean Sea, ancient Etruscans, who lived on the Italian peninsula before the Romans, placed mouthguard-like devices on the deceased
to prevent their teeth from caving in as the body decayed.
discovered that removing a person’s wisdom teeth could reduce crowding in the mouth, a treatment still common today! The 1800s ushered in a new era for orthodontic innovation. Crude braces made from wire and elastics became more common, and in 1864, Dr. S.C. Barnum invented the dental dam. The term “braces” started being used in the 1900s, and in the 1970s, stainless steel and dental adhesive made it possible for oral professionals to straighten teeth more efficiently and with less damage. 1997 saw the next game-changer for the orthodontic world when Stanford University graduate student Zia Chishti invented Invisalign. Orthodontic technology has advanced greatly over the years, and it will be interesting to see where the next few decades will take us!
The rise of the Roman Empire saw additional orthodontic efforts. A medic named Aulus Cornelius Celsus documented his attempts to straighten teeth using the force of his hands, which likely proved disastrous for his patients. Similarly, researchers uncovered small gold wires in Roman burial remains that were used on the deceased’s teeth. The fall of the Roman Empire brought forth the Middle Ages and then the Renaissance, which proved to be an unprogressive time in the realm of orthodontics. It wasn’t until the 1700s that two dentists wrote about the “Bandeau.” This device represented a mouthguard and supposedly helped keep a person’s teeth in place. One of the dentists, Pierre Bourdet, also
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