Some people look forward to getting braces (牙箍) on their tooth, thinking they look cool. Other people avoid visiting the orthodontist (正齿医生) until resistance becomes in vain. But anyone who benefits from the orthodontist's trade today should be thankful for the progress this science has made over the centuries.
Remains of crooked (弯曲的) human teeth date back tens of thousands of years. Greek and Roman texts describing the treatment of irregular teeth by the application of pressure date buck as far as the fifth century B.C. Archaeological evidence indicates even earlier use of orthodontic appliances, including man-made objects found in considerable burial sites in ancient Italy. Another early attempt at braces may have been discovered on Egyptian mummies with recognizable metal bands around their teeth. Thus, from at least 1,000 BC, it was known that teeth move in response to pressure.
Techniques for correcting dental irregularities did not advance much until the eighteenth century. French dentists led the way to building orthodontic practice on scientific foundations. The greatest contribution came from Pierre Fauchard. In 1728, Fauchard published the first general study of dentistry. In it, he described the process of straightening. He made smooth a crooked tooth to create space around it. Then he repositioned the tooth using a tool called a "pelican". And he bound it to its neighbors and let it set. French and English dentists improved on Fauchard's work though the eighteenth century. Patients of Fauchard's treatment may have been grateful when the work was complete. While many of them faced the treatment with fear and cried during the procedures, there were many Frenchmen who flooded to Fauchard to improve their looks with dental work.
Pioneering European orthodontists introduced new techniques and instruments in the nineteenth century. By midcentury, American dentists began to take the lead in research and invention. Electricity revolutionized the operating room, and the proper medicine made surgery less painful. John Farrar developed guidelines for using tools to move teeth by applying force at regular intervals.
The twentieth century saw refinement in the materials and methods of orthodontics. But the fundamental principles of the science were developed during the days of Fauchard.
