Edition V15N06 | Year 2010 | Editorial What’s new in DInterviewistry | Pages 14 to 17
The history has shown attempts to correct crowded or protruding teeth since 3000 year ago. Egyptian mummies have been found with crude metal bands wrapped around individual teeth, and primitive and surprisingly well-designed orthodontic appliances have also been found with Greek and Etruscan artifacts.1 From Pierre Fauchard, passing through Ben Kingsley, Calvin Case, and finally to Edward H. Angle, we have seen technology evolved. The modern era of orthodontics has initiated its history around 1900 and has gone from metal bands adjusted around the teeth to bonded braces on the buccal and the lingual sides, as well as clear aligners, mini-implants/ mini-plates, self-ligating brackets, digital models, lasers and so on. Thus, the continuing quest for improvements on materials and techniques leads us to the desire to treat patients faster, better, and totally painless. Today, many people receive orthodontic treatment which brings about better occlusion, improved oral function and harmonized facial appearance. However, two perplexing challenges have not been solved in clinical orthodontics, i.e. long treatment time (on average 2-3 years) and iatrogenic root resorption. Figuring out these challenges will dramatically improve the quality of orthodontic care.