metal that could expand the arch of a patient’s mouth. If this sounds painful, that’s because historians believe the bandeau was actually a torture device. Fortunately, Christophe-François Delabarre came along in 1819 to invent the wire crib, which signaled the beginning of modern orthodontics. Braces would change rapidly over the next hundred years as dentists learned more about teeth. For a long time, most braces were made of gold, platinum, silver, or gum rubber, though some orthodontists relied on ivory, brass, and even wood. Stainless steel wouldn’t become the norm until the 1950s. Then, in the 1970s, with the introduction of dental adhesives, orthodontists no longer needed to wrap wires around each individual tooth, and braces as we know them came to be. DOMUMMIES WEAR BRACES? A Brief History of Orthodontics
Braces are a part of many people’s lives. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t wear braces in high school, and it’s likely you have a friend or sibling who spent a few years with metal strapped to their teeth. People have been striving for a perfect smile for a long time. In fact, archaeologists have found evidence that many ancient civilizations used some form of braces. Several ancient Egyptian mummies have been discovered with bands of catgut wrapped around their teeth, and across the Mediterranean, the Etruscans often buried their dead with gold bands around their pearly whites. These braces were part of burial rituals, meant to keep a person’s teeth in place after they died. Though philosophers of the time, including Hippocrates and Aristotle, would write about methods for straightening teeth while patients were still alive, braces wouldn’t really get their start until after the Dark Ages.
Today, traditional metal braces have been joined by ceramic braces, lingual braces, and plastic aligners like Invisalign. Patients have plenty of options in their search for the perfect smile!
In 1728, French dentist Pierre Fauchard published “The Surgeon Dentist.” One of the treatments was the bandeau, a horseshoe-shaped piece of
WATERMELON SALAD
HAVE A LAUGH!
This simple, delicious salad is the perfect summer refresher. In under 30 minutes, you’ll have a dish that will inspire rave reviews at your next summer cookout.
INGREDIENTS
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8 cups seedless watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes
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1/2 cup mint leaves, torn
Salt to taste
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1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
DIRECTIONS 1. In a large mixing or salad bowl, toss watermelon with lime juice and cayenne pepper.
2. Gently fold in mint leaves. 3. Sprinkle with salt and serve.
Inspired by Food & Wine magazine
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