Pierre Fauchard the “inventor” of orthodontics

No one before Pierre Fauchard had claimed to be able to move teeth except Celsus who suggested applying finger pressure to a tooth that was erupting in the wrong direction. Fauchard advised dentists to examine a patient’s mouth and occlusion first and then, if necessary, to use one of a number of methods he proposed to ‘‘straighten’’ irregular teeth. The principal device was a ‘‘plate,’’ a small segment of thin metal attached to anchor teeth from which force could be exerted on mal-positioned teeth. He uprighted teeth leaning inward by luxation with a ‘‘pelican.’’ The two chapters of his book that were devoted to ‘‘straightening’’ teeth constitute the origin of modern orthodontics.