Braces have been one of the most beautiful yet high utility-based inventions in the field of dentistry. Due to genetics, which is something not under our control, many people have teeth structures and alignments that are not suitable for them. This leads to a decrease in the individual's confidence level, especially when they need to interact and mingle in the society. For the convenience of people, braces came into the picture, which ironically is quite a painless method to mitigate this issue by aiding with the malalignment of the teeth.
Today, there are many types of braces, but this was definitely not how the journey started. It has a long history. The branch of orthodontics in dentistry is primarily used to correct malalignment since its inception to improve aesthetics.
In ancient times, teeth were straightened using ancient materials like gold, metal, or catgut. Braces have been made from a variety of materials over history, including platinum, silver, steel, wood, ivory, copper, and brass. Archaeologists have discovered Egyptian mummies with materials like metal posts on their teeth attached with catgut cord (sheep or horse intestine), which served as the arch wire in modern braces - the device that applies pressure to teeth and causes them to move into alignment. In earlier times, this helped straighten teeth and improve their appearance.
As time and technology evolved, braces started to modernize as well. The first modern braces were discovered in 1819, by the French inventor Christophe-Francois Delabarre. His form of braces included a woven wire which was fitted over both maxillary (upper) and the mandibular (lower) teeth to fix their alignment. That was when the word braces was coined for such procedures.
With the advent of more advanced technology, through the two world wars, modern braces started to evolve everywhere. In the 1970s, stainless steel and dental adhesives started to come into the picture, which definitely gave much more promising results. It ended up being less painful, more comfortable, and convenient to the patient as well as the doctors who performed these procedures.
In today's world, evolution has led to a very beautiful invention of modern braces. There are metallic braces available along with ceramic, which make it comparatively more aesthetic than the metallic ones. The most advanced type of braces include invisible aligners - which started in 1997. It is a completely transparent facility which can also be removed, as per the patient's convenience.
The journey of braces has been quite evolving from wires to invisible aligners. This discovery would not have been possible if such small breakthroughs had not been present since the eighteenth century. Thanks to all the researchers and doctors of the past, their hard work pays off for the patients and doctors of today.
