A short history lesson...

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#1 Post by **paw655** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 2:22 pm

As many readers are in their teens, 20s, or 30s, you all may not know what braces were like before colored ligs, or even glue-on brackets. I figured I'd share my braces experience, lasting about 3 years, in the early 1970s (around age 12).

1. No one went to an ortho until about age 10 or 11, never under 10 unless serious malformations. There just wasn't any "phased treatment" - when you were referred either you got braces or not. No expanders, or "pre-braces" braces.

2. All teeth were banded and bracketed. There was no other option - no glue-on, lingual, invisible, or ceramic. One style was all there was, basically.

3. Now, you all won't believe this part. Maybe it was my ortho, or the times, I don't know, but after my consultation we (with mom as I was 12) scheduled a banding appointment a few weeks out. The assistant handed me a small envelope, and this is what she said, "Inside this envelope are little rubber tubes called spacers. One week before you are to get your braces, I want you to put one of these between each of your teeth." Yes folks, we inserted our own spacers!!! Or not, as the case may be. If I got two in I was lucky. And, they were not like rubber bands, but oblong rubber tubes which stuck out the front and back of your teeth. If you think braces are bad, imagine black plastic tubes sticking out between each and every pair of teeth, upper and lower. So, you can imagine I didn't really care that I didn't get them in since I wasn't wild about the "spacer look." (for those wondering, mom was not home a lot so she didn't notice if I did or didn't put them in or not).

Here's the catch. It didn't matter a bit. The bands went on with no problems. I know that spacers make it easier, but in my experience it does not impede treatment in any way once the bands are on (which admittedly may be a bit harder, but they're experts!)

4. Adjustments were 4 weeks generally, 5 was long.

5. Headgear was common, and was expected to be worn 24 hours a day (the AOA I think now states 12 hours a day). Back then if you had the headgear sentence, you were stuck wearing it to school and out to social events, there was no excuse for not wearing it...except many of us snuck in the bathroom during homeroom and took it off til we got on the bus to go home.

6. The ortho's instrument of torture was the "thumper." It clamped onto the bands and the ortho would retract the upper part and when released it applied force on the bands to force them down or in position. Having gone through that, I can't see how anything glue on could be as bad, but I'm sure I'll find out.

7. The "cement" or whatever it is called that is used for impressions was not as good as it is today. I am not exaggerating when I say the impression tray, with all the goop in it, had to stay in your mouth for 5 minutes. They had a timer. I almost panicked having to have impressions this year, but the assistant tried to reassure me things were different. It was horrible, and people were known to go into panic attacks for fear of not being able to breathe with the plastic and mold filling up their mouth for 5 minutes.

But, that's it. You got braces, elastics, headgear, retainer (not told to wear long-term though) and life was pretty simple. With the exception of the headgear and the impressions issue, in all honesty, I'd rather have the simplicity of the 70s but the ortho I saw last week looked at me like I was from Mars when I asked if I could just do traditional banding.

He's also probably 15 years younger than I am.

Anyone else have a history lesson?

#2 Post by **mackenzie** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 2:26 pm

Ooh that is so weird I always wondered if those people had to have spacers between all of their teeth! Thanks for sharing!

#3 Post by **materialsgirl** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 6:48 am

All I can say is: Thank goodness I didn't have braces back then! (Heck, I wasn't even alive back then)

That's a very interesting history lesson - thanks for sharing!

#4 Post by **candygrrrl** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 6:48 am

Interesting! Makes me glad I waited until now to start the process, since it seems like things have advanced tremendously since then â€“ surgeries, multiple expansion techniques, etc. I know many adults who were braced as kids who now have to go back to correct problems that were never fully dealt with, or whose teeth simply "drifted" back after 20 or so years.

Sun Mar 26, 2006 10:37 am

Thanks Paw for the reminders. I didn't have braces as a teenager, and I don't really remember any of my friends having them. I do remember as a kid that preventative denitstry was just becoming popular. I really don't ever remember having my teeth cleaned till I was an adult. I do remember going in for x-rays and I still have some silver fillings.

More dental memories; (its no wonder people didn't speak very highly of their dentist, and dreaded the appointments)

I remember when they came out with the 5 minute molds. I thought THAT was a miracle. My first impression took 20 minutes, then they had to use a rubber mallet to get it off.

I also remember my medical doctor giving me some popsicle sticks and telling me to push on my two front teeth with them as much as possible so I wouldn't have a gap. When I got a gap anyway, it was my fault because I didn't push on them enough. Some of my friends were given rubber bands to put on their front teeth to close the gap and I was jealous.

When I had my wisdom teeth pulled in 1974 at age 19, they pulled them out the sides of my jaw, and broke my jaw in the process, then sent me home. I was off work & school for three weeks. I was 95 pounds when I had it done and was rapidly getting smaller. I couldn't open my mouth more than about 1/4 of an inch, but wasn't allowed to use a straw. (got a dry socket anyway) Mom mushed up anything she thought I would swallow to try to get some nourishment into me. I had bits of bone erupt for a year. I never visited an oral surgeon again until last year when I had my canine exposed. However, when daughter had her wisdom teeth pulled a few years back, and hers were in about the same position mine were, I was so afraid for her. Well I learned that processes have improved a lot as she recovered in a couple of days.

Everytime I visit the dentist, I appreciate all of the improvements.

#6 Post by **MadeIn1984** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 6:48 pm

Wow, I'm just wondering how dentistry and orthodontics will be like 20 years from now. I bet what we're all going through right now will seem totally barbaric and antiquated! lol

#7 Post by **hollywood_smile** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 7:38 pm

wow!! so interesting!!! just 30 years ago!!, it has improve but not that mmuch, i guess in 30 years things will be almost the same, with a litle of improvement, or fake invasion, like fake teeth and smiles will be the IN thing! but braces process and that stuff will be the same or almost the same. or perhaps a new generation will born with perfect teeth so orthotontics will disappear.
anyways, thanls for sharing that!!!!! awesome!

#8 Post by **BlueeyedManda** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 9:08 pm

I can't believe you used to put in your own spacers..wow, that's something I would have never thought. You said you never put yours in, so how hard was it for your band fitting?
What were adjustments like, different or slightly similar to what we go through now?

#9 Post by **paw655** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 10:12 pm

Adjustments were pretty similar, but more frequent. However, because every tooth was banded, there was no problem with brackets falling off, or having to be replaced, so the "repair" component was less. If I recall, the band had a little bracket part attached, so it was all one piece and I never heard of anyone losing one, swallowing one, or anything like that.

The bulk of an adjustment was the dreaded tightening/alignment of the bands, as inevitably all the daily wear and tear of eating day in day out on the same bands over and over would loosen them ever so slightly so the ortho had to make sure the bands were as tight as possible against the teeth (yeah rah). The wire, as usual, wasn't that big a deal.

Now that I think of it, the assistants could do all aspects but the "thumper" (as previously referenced, tighten/align bands, by forcing pressure on the metal of the band to the teeth, which seemingly radiated throughout the mouth!) part. I remember well that I would lie in the chair, hoping the ortho was going to someone else and not me, because he only came for one reason...(is there such a thing as orthodontic trauma?)

I'm scheduled to get braced this week (metal), pending finances. I know good and well things have changed, but, as the saying goes, old memories die hard.
As for the initial banding, it wasn't too bad, but that may have been a function of my teeth and I was lucky.

Mon Mar 27, 2006 12:57 am

MadeIn1984 wrote:Wow, I'm just wondering how dentistry and orthodontics will be like 20 years from now. I bet what we're all going through right now will seem totally barbaric and antiquated! lol

I think some of the brackets in my mouth are pretty barbaric still. LOL
One of those hooks on my top molar caught and ripped off a big chunk of skin today. Or was it that tube I don't really need because it is intended for the headgear I won't be getting?