The Progression of the Science of Orthodontics

9/25/08
By: Dr. Larry J. Cook

The first orthodontist was Dr. Edward H. Angle who limited his practice to straightening teeth in the 1880’s. Traditionally, early orthodontists did not want to see the patient until all of the permanent teeth were present in the mouth, about age 12-14. At that point, the orthodontist would extract enough teeth to make it mathematically possible to fit all the remaining teeth in the arch and move them around until they were "straight." In the 1970’s orthodontists realized that by catching developmental problems earlier, they could, by use of appliances, direct the growth of the upper and/or lower arches to accommodate the size of the teeth. That is why your dentist may recommend an orthodontic as early as six or seven of years of age. The process of orthodontics is possible because of the ability to move teeth bodily through bone by applying physical pressure to the tooth. The bone breaks down on the side away from the pressure and new bone is laid down behind it as it moves. Actually, our teeth remain where they are in our mouths because of continuous orthodontic pressures.
The tongue is constantly pushing from the inside, the lips push from the outside. Along with stabilizing positional forces resultant from the bite relationship, the consequences of all the above is that our teeth remain in their same relative positions throughout our adult life.
The newest orthodontic development in the last few years has been "Invisalign." The biggest drawback to traditional orthodontics has always been the discomfort and inconvenience of the brackets and wires that are actually glued to the teeth. Invisalign is a process of moving the teeth by the use of a series of removable clear plastic aligners. This extremely convenient and patient-friendly technology is very popular because, unlike traditional braces, the appliance is invisible and can be removed while brushing and flossing or, unfortunately, any time the patient wishes. Therein lies one of the only disadvantages, the patient must wear the appliances for them to work and the treatment, unlike traditional orthodontics, relies upon patient compliance. Nevertheless, many adult patients embrace with the Invisalign process who would never consider traditional orthodontics. Your dentist can help you decide if orthodontics is the appropriate treatment for your specific problem.