Camarillo Orthodontist Presenting A Brief History

This is a short description of the History of Orthodontic Braces.

People have used braces to straighten their teeth for hundreds and hundreds of years. Orthodontics dates back to the time of the Egyptians - mummies have been found with wires on their teeth, resembling braces. Back around 400 BC, Hippocrates wrote regarding hard work to smooth down teeth. Pressure as a means to align one's teeth has clearly been a common practice since ancient times.

Starting in 1850 doctors began trying to reorder teeth by using an external force. The dentist at the head of the movement was Dr. New York University College for Dentistry's first dean was Dr. Norman Kingsley, the person who spearheaded the orthodontic effort. 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.

Dr. Edward Angle wrote and printed his classic textbook, "Angle's Classification of Malocclusion", at the end of the 1800s. It was a ground-breaking publication for its time. Methods for correcting a misaligned occlusion were described, as well as the idea of the teeth having a "natural occlusion." Three types of malocclusion were described through his efforts. There are three classes of malocclusion: Class I refers to an improper occlusal line, Class II refers to an overbite, and Class III refers to an under-bite. Dr. The American Association of Orthodontists was created by Dr. Edward Angle with the help of some other dentists.

Orthodontics was generally accepted as a specialty field of dentistry starting with Angle's exploratory work being published. Though not the the field we see today, Orthodontics was beginning to move away from the superficial correction of the appearance of teeth, to the exact classification and treatment of problems of occlusion.

Later in the century orthodontists became interested in the role of tooth removal. 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.

A decade later, dentists developed radio-graphs allowing them to see how bones in the jaws developed, and see other parts of the mouth that may change alignment. It was discovered that one could change the direction a tooth was growing; straightening teeth and stopping them from being crooked.

Orthodontia research began charting undiscovered territory in the sixties, as it delved into the role surgery could play in fixing occlusion in people whose bone couldn't develop any further.

Present day Camarillo Orthodontists have progressed considerably from its infancy. Currently, along with adjusting the position of the teeth for a better visual appeal, a sturdy occlusal bond can also be developed.