1940s experience: Huon

[Huon]

In response to your invitation, Lynn, I'm posting my account of my braces experience in the 1940s, when I was 14 and 15 years old. For those contemplating braces, this bears no resemblance to modern treatment methods.

I don't remember any discussion of what was to happen to me. I was simply presented to an orthodontist. I immmediately disliked his appearance- he had an enormous underbite- and his manner, which was autocratic.

Step 1. Impressions. these were made with plaster and it was a battle to remove them when it had set. the lower one broke in several places but was apparently glued back together.

Step 2. Extractions. I lost my back molars-2 one week and those on the other side, the next.

Step3. Separators. There were no elastic separators, at that time, so I had a wire ligature threaded through, between each pair of teeth that had to be separated. The end was brought up and over and the ends were twisted together, dragging the loop in between the teeth and wedging them apart. The first one wasn't too bad but after that, each one was moving teeth that had already been shoved aside by the previous ones, It was agony. I was fortunate, in that I wasn't to have a band on each tooth and so not a separator in every space but even so, I remember lying face down on my bed, in tears when I reached home. I couldn't eat, as I couldn't bear the touch of a spoon or cup on any tooth and neither could I bear to touch any teeth together.

Step4. Banding. this took place after a fortnight, when the pain had subsided. The separators were removed and my teeth were cleaned with pumice paste on a rotating brush in a handpiece. My cheeks were pushed out with cotton wool rolls up against the gums and a suction tube was hung over my lower jaw to remove all saliva. It was there for the next 2 1/2 hours of the procedure, so you can imagine how dry my mouth was, at the end. The teeth to be banded were etched , rinsed and dried and then the gold bands were put un. they were a tight fit, probably because glues were not as strong as present day ones. Each was coated with cement, inside and then driven on with a mallet and drift (a short wooden stick). The thickness of the bands on adjoining teeth was greater than that of the separator wire, so again, the teeth were wedged sideways in one brutal movement. Agony again.

Step 4. Archwire placement. The archwires were rigid stainless steel and attached to the bands with wire ligatures - no elastic ones. Each one was twisted on by hand, until my mouth must have looked like an inverted porcupine. They were all then tightened, pulling the banded teeth to the archwire. Agony again. Finally, they were cut and bent down. Once again, I couldn't eat and any contact with a tooth was excrutiatingly painful.
There was no wax. Cotton wool was the recommended packing material.

Step 5, Tightenings. These took place each 6 weeks and were definitely tightenings, rather than adjustments. Each archwire was removed and taken away (to be reshaped, I assume) and then replaced in the same way as before. At each of these appointments, the teeth were moved abruptly, rather than gradually, between adjustments, as at present. I had elastics, which attached to the end of the lower archwire and hooks which were welded to the upper archwire but I was fortunate not to have a wired-on face bow, which others had. I had what I assume was an expander, inside the lower arch. Eventually, I got my tongue under it and bent it up, out of shape. It was then removed.

Step 6. Retainer. I went through the banding process twice, for reasons which were never explained and was finally given an upper Hawley. It was a clumsy object, which made it impossible to speak intelligibly. You can imagine how a shy boy, the only one in the school to have had braces, felt about it. Of course, I didn't wear it as I should have and the jumble of teeth which are now being straightened, most successfully, were the result.

That is my account. Others had a far more difficult time than I had. I have read of full- banding sessions taking six hours.

I have nothing but praise for my present orthodontist, who is considerate and explains what he is doing and intends to do. Please do not allow what I have written, above, put you off from going into orthodontic treatment, which is totally different from what I have described. It is worth all the relatively slight discomfort that you may experience.

I would welcome comment and will attempt to answer questions, as long as they are not too technical and beyond my knowledge.

[bbsadmin]

Wow, that sounds awful! You are a brave soul for getting braces again, after that experience when you were young! Fortunately, there have been many advances in orthodontic treatment since those days!

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us!

[Dodger(UK)]

Well that's an horrific account fo what it was like to have orthodontic treatment in the 40's, if I've ever heard one! I sometimes wonder what it would be like to travel back in time and live in the so called "Golden Age". The story you've described in painfull detail above, is a good reason why I'm glad I can call on today's advancement in modern orthodontics and take maximum benefit of them.

That experience would have put me off ever going near a dentist again, I'm so glad you've put it behind you and took advantage of today's relatively painless ortho procedures. I wish you the best of luck.

[M1k3y]

I'm so glad I live in the modern technological world now. I give you major props for enduring such pain and overall experience when orthodontal work was still growing.

[josephine]

Glad to see your post, Huon. Amazing that your own orthodontist had an underbite! It's also amazing how much they put you through , and how far the technology has come since then. Helps to give the rest of us better perspective. Thanks.

[M1k3y]

I still can't get over this. I don't know if I could endure that type of treatment.