Having healthy and beautiful teeth has long been of interest to people, so that by looking at the **history of orthodontics** we can see its effects and signs in ancient civilizations. In ancient times, orthodontics was different from what we see today. This means that a type of brace was used for crooked teeth so that even in the afterlife a person would have their teeth. It is very exciting to learn how to perform orthodontics at the time with the facilities of that era. For this reason, in this article by Dr. Qureshi, we take a deep look at the history of orthodontics in the world. The History of Orthodontics 1000 BC The Egyptians are one of the most advanced ancient civilizations, where the roots of many of today's developments can be seen in some way. Orthodontics is one of those things whose history goes back to ancient Egypt and the era of the pharaohs. In Egyptian culture, life after death was as important as current life. For this reason, metal wires such as orthodontic braces made of gold, metal or intestines of animals such as sheep and horses have been observed in the remains of mummies obtained from that era. One of the world's first orthodontics can be seen in the mummy of Cleopatra, the great queen of Egypt. It seems that this device puts pressure on the teeth and keeps them in shape. In addition to the Egyptians, the Etruscans, who were an ancient people in today's Italy, also used wires and covers that were like dental guards to protect and arrange the teeth of their dead people. The Greeks, who were an ancient and magnificent civilization, used orthodontics from the beginning of 300 to 400 BC. By examining the manuscripts of the great Greek philosophers, Hippocrates and Aristotle, it has been found that they also provided solutions to improve the condition of the teeth. Norman Kingsley; Inventor of orthodontics Norman William Kingsley was an American dentist and artist of the 19th century who played a huge role in the development of the first orthodontic treatments. In other words, he can be called the "inventor of orthodontics" in a new way, because not only did he do a lot of research on this topic, but he also proposed the concept of malocclusion. The inventor of orthodontics started his career in an office in New York City with a person named Brown. Brown was also a professional writer and sculptor, and his skill set the spark for old orthodontics in Kingsley's mind. By learning and mastering sculpting, Kingsley was able to make dental prostheses and won many awards for it. He also uses fixed and movable inclined plates to correct malocclusion. Additionally, he designed the first soft rubber palatal blockers to help people with cleft palates function normally. Orthodontics in ancient times; 1728 AD In the history of orthodontics, there are great figures who each play an important role in this achievement. One of these people is French Pierre Fauchard, who is also known as the father of dentistry. Because he offered solutions not only in the field of orthodontics but also in the restoration of decayed teeth and periodontal diseases. He also used a device called bandeau to widen the palate. He introduced the orthodontic wire, which was first made of gold, but later discovered that it could be made of other materials. Fouschard had concluded that teeth are fixed by following the pattern of wires. He usually used linen or silk threads to fasten the braces on the teeth. Dental orthodontics in 1757 In 1757, years have passed since the first orthodontics in the world, but this science was still progressing. After Fauchard, another French dentist named Louis Bordeaux, who also worked for the royal court, slightly improved Fauchard's device. During this period, he published his book and was also the first dentist to recommend that if someone's jaw is too crowded, some of the bicuspid teeth can be pulled to improve the condition of the jaw. Evolution of orthodontic treatment in 1819 In the 19th century, dentistry was considered a separate branch of medicine. However, the different departments of dentistry have not yet been separated and the concept of an orthodontic specialist was not known. Until 1819, **old orthodontics** were used, but since then, modern orthodontics began. The first one was with wire clamps, which was an advanced form of orthodontics in ancient times. At that time, materials such as precious metals, steel and vulcanite were used to make rings, hooks and orthodontic spines. So it was possible to change the shape of the teeth. Introduction of orthodontic elastics in 1843 Sometimes ivory, zinc, and copper were used to straighten teeth, but due to the high price, it was probably only suitable for the nobility and royalty. In 1843, Edward Maynard was the first to use gum elastics. Of course, Maynard stayed in history mostly because of the design of firearms, but he was also a good dentist. In addition to the gum elastic for orthodontics, he designed another dental tool called barbruch, which is used to remove the tooth nerve from inside the root canal. Golden braces in 1950 The 20th century is a turning point in the history of orthodontics because Edward Engel pioneered a simple classification system for malocclusion. A system that is still used and dentists refer to it to determine the degree of deviation of teeth. Edward Engel founded the American Orthodontic Association in 1901, which was renamed to the American Association of Orthodontists 30 years later. During this period, gold was used for orthodontic braces. However, due to the occurrence of two world wars in the world, gold had become a precious metal and not everyone could use it. For this reason, steel replaced gold. The emergence of lingual orthodontics in 1970 With the change of braces from gold to steel, orthodontics did not change much for 20 years. Looking at "old-time orthodontics" until the 1970s, wires were wrapped around the teeth to change the shape of the teeth, but in the middle of this decade, many dentists began to attach braces to the teeth. Just like a form of fixed orthodontics that we see today. With this change, it was possible to attach the braces to other places. Therefore, lingual orthodontics was introduced, where the braces are attached to the back of the teeth and are not visible from the outside. Orthodontics in the 2000s From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, another change occurred in the history of orthodontics, and that was the introduction of invisible orthodontics. Two who had completed their studies at Stanford were studying advanced orthodontics. They came up with a new idea for a clear plastic device that could be placed on the teeth and moved. This clear plastic set was called Invisiline and is considered the foundation of today's invisible orthodontics. old orthodontics equipment As we said, metal devices were used in old orthodontics. In each period, depending on the type of metal that was more available, the necessary equipment was made from it. In all these periods, gold was one of the most popular metals because it performed well in the mouth, but gradually its high price replaced other metals, including steel. In addition, they used the guts of various animals to hold the teeth in place. If a part of a tooth was broken or fell out in general, they used shaved ivory or bone instead of the tooth. The history of orthodontics in Iran Unfortunately, the history of orthodontics in Iran is not very old and there is no strong sign of it before the modern era. Professor Hassan Riaz proposed the first orthodontic treatment in Iran in 1313. After that, in the late 50s, Professor Ali Akbar Behrman founded the Iranian Orthodontic Association. Looking at the history of orthodontics, we can see the ups and downs of this science from ancient times to today. Science that is used in clinics in the most modern way possible today. If you also need orthodontic treatment, you can visit one of the branches of Dr. Qureshi's clinic and benefit from high-quality and up-to-date services.