Braces, they’ve been around for hundreds of years

Braces, they’ve been around for hundreds of years

1 November 2016

If you think wanting the perfect smile is a desire that belongs only to the last few decades, then think again. Archaelogists have found that some mummified remains from Ancient Egypt with metal bands fixed around their teeth, and catgut is believed to have been attached to the bands to act as wires to pull the teeth into their desired position. Orthodontics, it seems, is a far older science and art than most of us realise.

The history of orthodontics

Orthodontics as the branch of dentistry that we recognise today, really came into being in the 18th century when Frenchman Pierre Fauchard invented an appliance called the bandeau. This horseshoe-shaped piece of iron featured regularly spaced holes to fit around the teeth and correct their alignment. It is for this that Fauchard is now called the Father of Dentistry.

What we would recognise as braces in Kent today first appeared in 1819, when another French dentist, Christophe-Francois Delabarre tried separating overcrowded teeth by inserting swelling threads or wooden wedges between each space.

Fast forward to the 1970s, when the invention of dental adhesives led to the creation of what today we recognise as braces in Kent – brackets fixed to the teeth with winding wires attached to them, and the use of stainless steel rather than gold or silver.

At Staplehurst Dental, we are so glad that braces in Kent are now made of the highest quality, high tech materials, which make the science of orthodontics as hygienic, easy, and efficient as possible.

Major advances in teeth straightening means that now in the 2010s, there are many different systems of braces in Kent, some of which aren’t even braces. At Staplehurst Dental Practice, we offer four different systems so that we can find the one that best suits each patient’s particular needs. These systems are: Six Month Smiles (fixed tooth-coloured bracket braces that on average take about six months to move the desired results); Invisalign (clear plastic mouth-guard-like aligners that are almost invisible and removable); Invisalign i7 (aligners that can achieve results for minor tooth adjustments in as little as three months); Invisalign Teen (clear plasti aligners for teenagers); and veneers (instant results with bonded porcelain sheaths for mildly misaligned teeth).