Short answer. The first documented braces date to 1728, when the French dentist Pierre Fauchard described the bandeau, a horseshoe-shaped strip of metal that widened the dental arch, in his book Le Chirurgien Dentiste. Braces as we know them come from Edward H. Angle, who classified bad bites in the late 1890s, opened the first orthodontic school in 1900 and introduced the edgewise bracket in 1925. Gluing brackets directly to teeth, first reported in 1965, replaced metal bands around every tooth, and the FDA cleared Invisalign in 1998.
By Rodrigo F. Viecilli, DDS, PhD, board-certified orthodontist at Limestone Hills Orthodontics in Austin, TX, who has treated more than 5,000 patients.
The people behind braces
No single person invented braces. Attempts to straighten teeth are ancient: the orthodontic historian Norman Wahl traces them to ancient Egypt, where crude metal bands and catgut were used on teeth. The first appliance described in print came from Pierre Fauchard, often called the father of modern dentistry, in 1728. The person who turned tooth straightening into a profession was Edward H. Angle, who is called the father of modern orthodontics.
Angle gave the field its first school, its first society, its first journal and a classification of bad bites that orthodontists still use: Class I, Class II and Class III. His edgewise bracket of 1925 is the ancestor of the brackets used today.
A timeline of braces
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Ancient Egypt | Crude metal bands and catgut on teeth, according to orthodontic historian Norman Wahl |
| 1728 | Pierre Fauchard describes the bandeau, a horseshoe-shaped strip of precious metal that widened the arch, in Le Chirurgien Dentiste |
| 18th century | Étienne Bourdet, dentist to the king of France, refines the bandeau |
| 1880 | Norman Kingsley publishes Treatise on Oral Deformities as a Branch of Mechanical Surgery |
| Late 1890s | Edward H. Angle defines normal occlusion and classifies malocclusion |
| 1900 | Angle opens the first orthodontic school, in St. Louis. The first orthodontic society forms the same year and later becomes the American Association of Orthodontists |
| 1925 | Angle introduces the edgewise bracket, the design modern brackets still follow |
| 1929 | The American Board of Orthodontics is founded, the first specialty board in dentistry |
| 1931 | B. Holly Broadbent introduces the cephalometer, a standardized head X-ray that lets orthodontists measure jaw growth |
| 1955 | Michael Buonocore shows that etching enamel with acid makes resin stick to teeth |
| 1965 | First report of gluing brackets directly to teeth with an epoxy adhesive |
| 1971 | Nickel-titanium wire, a springy shape-memory alloy, enters orthodontics |
| 1979 | Beta-titanium wire is introduced by Jon Goldberg and Charles Burstone, and Kinya Fujita publishes lingual braces that sit behind the teeth |
| Late 1980s | Tooth-colored ceramic brackets are in clinical use |
| 1998 | The FDA clears Invisalign; sales to orthodontists begin in July 1999 |
| Today | Digital scans, 3D CBCT imaging, miniscrew anchors, and aligners and wires planned on a computer |
How braces worked before brackets were glued on
For most of the 20th century, every tooth wore a metal band that wrapped around it, with a bracket soldered to the band. Early appliances used precious metals such as gold; stainless steel arrived early in the century and gradually took over. That is the full-metal look in photos from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Two discoveries ended it. In 1955, Michael Buonocore showed that a mild acid etch lets resin grip enamel, and in 1965 the first report of brackets glued straight onto teeth appeared. Bonded brackets replaced bands on most teeth over the following decades. Bands are still used on some back teeth, for example to anchor a palatal expander.
The wires changed more than the brackets
The bracket is a handle; the wire does the moving. Gold and stainless steel wires are stiff, so early treatment relied on frequent, careful bending. Nickel-titanium wire, introduced to orthodontics in 1971, springs back to its shape and delivers a lighter, steadier force, which is why first wires today are far gentler than the steel wires that came before. Beta-titanium followed in 1979, introduced by Jon Goldberg and Charles Burstone.
Dr. Viecilli’s PhD is in orthodontic biomechanics, the study of these forces. With Charles Burstone he later co-invented the force-calibration method behind the SmartArch wire, which delivers different forces to different teeth from a single wire. See SmartArch.
What Angle got right, and what changed
Angle’s classification of bites and his edgewise principle are still the core of orthodontics. Some of his views did not last. Angle opposed extracting teeth to relieve crowding, and his student Charles Tweed made extraction treatment accepted when crowding is severe. Another student, Broadbent, gave the field the cephalometer, which showed that many bad bites come from the jaws rather than the teeth, and opened the way to treating jaw growth in children.
The biggest change since Angle is how claims are tested. A new bracket or device now has to prove itself in randomized trials. Many have not: self-ligating brackets, for example, did not shorten treatment in trials; see self-ligating braces.
Clear braces and clear aligners
Tooth-colored ceramic brackets were in clinical use by the late 1980s, and lingual braces hidden behind the teeth were published in 1979. Clear aligners came from Align Technology, founded in 1997. The FDA cleared Invisalign in September 1998, and Align reports more than 24 million patients treated. Comparisons are in ceramic vs metal braces and aligners vs braces.
Braces in Austin today
At Limestone Hills, metal braces come with SmartArch wire, clear ceramic braces use self-ligating brackets that stay tooth-colored, and clear aligners include Invisalign. Every new patient gets a 3D CBCT scan at the free consultation, and older teens and adults with a narrow upper jaw can be evaluated for miniscrew-assisted expansion (MARPE). How long treatment takes today is in how long braces take.
Braces history questions, answered
Who invented braces?
No single person. Pierre Fauchard described the first documented appliance, the bandeau, in 1728, and Étienne Bourdet refined it. Edward H. Angle made orthodontics a specialty around 1900 and designed the edgewise bracket in 1925, so he is the person most often credited with modern braces.
When did braces become common?
After World War II. Postwar prosperity, the baby boom and parents who knew more about orthodontics created what historians call the golden age of orthodontics, and graduate programs multiplied to train enough orthodontists.
What were braces made of in the past?
Early appliances used precious metals such as gold. Stainless steel arrived early in the 20th century and gradually replaced them. Until bonding took over, every tooth wore a metal band with a bracket soldered to it.
When were clear braces invented?
Tooth-colored ceramic brackets were in clinical use by the late 1980s. Clear aligners came later: the FDA cleared Invisalign in 1998, and sales to orthodontists began in 1999.
Why is Edward Angle called the father of modern orthodontics?
Because he built the specialty. He classified malocclusion in the late 1890s, opened the first orthodontic school and helped found the first orthodontic society in 1900, started its first journal, and introduced the edgewise bracket in 1925.
Limestone Hills Orthodontics is on RM 2222 in Northwest Austin. The first visit is free for new patients who have not been in orthodontic treatment in the last 12 months. Book a free orthodontic consultation or call (512) 720-6399.
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