The History of Orthodontics

Man’s attempts to change his smile by using braces goes back thousands of years. Archaeologists have discovered mummies that had teeth that were “wired” for better alignment. Back around 400 BC, Hippocrates wrote about efforts to straighten teeth. It’s clear that knowledge of using pressure to move teeth into a better alignment over a period of time, was present in ancient history.

In 1850 the first modern attempt to correct the arrangement of teeth using added oral force was made. The dentist at the head of the movement was Dr. Norman Kingsley, who would go on to serve as the first dean of the New York University College for Dentistry. Back in those days, people didn’t pay any attention to the bite, and it was rare to find people who had a complete set of healthy teeth.

It was in the later part of the 19th century, that Dr Edward Angle published his work, Angle’s Classification of Malocclusion. It was a ground-breaking publication for its time. He discussed the method of creating a correct occlusion in the teeth, and also introduced a concept of a natural occlusion in the teeth. In his work, he developed three classes of malocclusion. Class I malocclusion which has an improper occlusal line, Class II malocclusion or overbite, and Class III malocclusion or under bite. Dr. Edward Angle along with some of his colleagues in the field of dentistry, established the American Association of Orthodontists.

With the publication of Angle’s pioneering work, orthodontics as a field of dental specialty, began to take form. It was still a far cry from the orthodontic specialization we know today, but the focus had begun to shift from mere straightening of the teeth appearance sake, to actually looking into the types of malocclusion, and the precise ways to correct them.

As the century progressed, interest grew in the part that removing teeth could play in orthodontics. In the 1930’s, dentists began to experiment with enhancing the proportions of the face through tooth extraction, making for a more secure alignment of the teeth.

Ten years later, dentists began to develop radio-graphs that allowed them to see how the development of bone in the jaw, and other areas of the mouth could influence alignment. This led to the knowledge that by redirecting the growth of bone, changes to the alignment could be made to prevent malocclusion.

In the sixties, orthodontia research began to chart uncovered territory, as it explored the role of surgery in correcting occlusion in people whose bone wasn’t able to develop any further.

Modern orthodontics has made significant advancements since those early days. Today, not only will a Camarillo orthodontist correct the alignment of the teeth for a more cosmetically pleasing experience, but it can also create a firm occlusal relationship.