An attractive smile and healthy teeth has been considered desirable for many years and in many cultures. History shows that there have been numerous ancient civilisations that would create makeshift primitive forms of braces to help with the alignment of crooked teeth. Some would even use braces on corpses to preserve straight teeth in the afterlife. The ancient world would often use materials such as gold, catgut, and metal to create braces but over the years the materials civilization would evolve to include the likes of steel, wood, ivory, brass, copper, silver, steel, and platinum.
Historians believe the four ancient civilisations to use braces were The Egyptians, The Ancient Romans, The Ancient Greeks, and The Etruscans. Fast forward to the modern era, we have Christophe-Francois Delabarre to thank for the invention of modern braces in 1819. The French were responsible for the constant evolution of dentistry in the 1700s. Advancements included custom mouthguards and wisdom teeth removal as a means to manage overcrowding, but it was Delabarre who invented a woven wire to be worn for an extended time over the upper and lower teeth. His invention had the intent to straighten teeth overtime and became the precursor to the braces many of us have had at some point.
For a long time braces were chunky silver things that turned us all into metal mouths for decades. That was until 1997 when the invisible clear plastic retainer was envisioned by Zia Chishti. This retainer became what we know today as Invisalign and although it was invented in 1997, it was not available until 2000. There are now many orthodontics clinics near Bayside which now have the knowledge and skill to start giving their patients braces and Invisalign options as a means to straighten their teeth.
Thanks to this invention we are seeing a lot more people get braces later in life as they no longer need to feel embarrassed or worried about the stigma associated with having braces. Invisalign allows a subtle way for adults to straighten their teeth without compromising overall appearance.