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Orthodontic braces have seemingly always been around, but just how far back do these metal contraptions date back? Truth be told, the cosmetic advantage of sporting pearly white teeth was never lost on ancient man.
The earliest dental innovators lacked a healthy supply of modern dental wire for their braces, instead they opted for catgut – a more natural type of cord.
Ancient Greece outfitted their dental patients with appliances used to navigate the gaps between teeth. Later, researchers would discover the Romans actually used gold wires in some cases to address straightening teeth.
The first significant breakthrough in the history of braces was considered the work of one important French dentist, Pierre Fauchard. Fauchard initially used a device commonly referred to as a “Bandeau,” or, metal in the shape of a horseshoe. This device helped expand the mouth’s arch and direct teeth where they needed to settle permanently.
The first appearance of the ‘metal mouth’ occurred during the early 1900s. Practicing orthodontists would use various metals including platinum, gold and steel to create a set of braces. Gold was actually a very popular material in the formation of braces as its physical properties were easily manipulated.
One more big push in the braces world was direct bonding to the teeth, occurring sometime within the 1970s. It took doctors a long time to perfect the adhesive used to bond the wire bracket to the teeth, and once they had it down it opened the door to more modern styles we see today.
Using any of these dated teeth straightening devices would probably be considered cruel and unusual punishment these days. Fortunately, modern braces have made tremendous strides since the days of Aristotle. Here at Kidtastic we even offer virtually undetectable braces with our hugely popular Invisalign brand.
