New study reveals surprising reason our ancestors didn’t need braces

ancient egyptians pioneered by the Etruscans Orthodonticsusing delicate gold thread and catgut Orthodontics. This story has appeared in dental textbooks for decades, portraying our ancestors as surprisingly modern in their pursuit of the perfect smile. But when archaeologists and dental historians finally took a closer look at the evidence, they discovered that much of it was myth.

Take Egypt’s El-Quatta Dental Bridge, for example, which dates back to around 2500 BC. Gold threads found in ancient remains are not at all what we thought they were. Rather than pulling teeth into alignment, these wires stabilize loose teeth or hold replacement teeth in place. In other words, they function as prosthetics, not braces.

gold ribbon found Etruscan tomb Tell a similar story. They may be dental splints designed to support teeth that have become loose due to gum disease or injury, rather than devices designed to move the teeth into a new position.

There are some pretty compelling practical reasons why these ancient devices shouldn’t be used as braces anyway. Tests of Etruscan artifacts revealed that the gold used was 97% pure and that pure gold was extremely soft.

It bends and stretches easily without breaking, making it useless for orthodontics. Braces work by applying constant pressure over an extended period of time, requiring strong and flexible metal. Pure gold simply cannot do this. Try to tighten it enough to straighten the teeth, but the teeth will become deformed or broken.

There is also the curious question of who is wearing these gold rings. Many of them were found with female skeletons, suggesting they may have been status symbols or decorative jewelry rather than medical devices. Tellingly, nothing was found in the mouths of children or teenagers – where you would expect to find them if they were actual orthodontic appliances.

But perhaps the most fascinating revelation of all: ancient people didn’t have the same dental problems we face today.

Malocclusion—the crowding and misalignment of teeth that is common today—was extremely rare in the past. Studies of Stone Age skulls show that the skulls were hardly crowded. The difference is in the diet.

Our ancestors ate hard, fibrous foods that required careful chewing. All this jaw development resulted in the jaws becoming strong and large enough to accommodate all of their teeth.

By comparison, the modern diet is a diet of fluffy processed foods that give our jaws little exercise. The result? Our jaws are generally smaller than those of our ancestors, while our teeth have remained the same size, resulting in the crowding we see today.

since Crooked teeth Since they barely existed in ancient times, there was hardly any reason to develop methods of straightening them.

That said, ancient people occasionally attempted simple interventions for dental irregularities. The Romans provide one of the earliest reliable references to actual orthodontic treatment.

Aulus Cornelius Celsus, a first-century Roman medical writer, stated that if a child’s tooth was crooked, they should gently push it into place with their fingers every day until it moved into the correct position. Although simple, this method works on the same principle we use today—gentle, consistent pressure moves teeth.

In the centuries following Roman times, little progress was made. However, by the 18th century there was a renewed interest in straightening teeth, albeit through some rather painful methods.

Those without access to modern dental tools are left with wooden “expanding wedges” to create space between overcrowded teeth. Insert a small wedge of wood between the teeth. When saliva is absorbed, the wood expands, forcing the teeth apart. It may be crude and painful, but it represents a step toward understanding that teeth can be repositioned through pressure.

Scientific Orthodontics

True scientific orthodontics began in 1728 with the work of French dentist Pierre Fauchard. Fauchard, often called the father of modern dentistry, published a landmark two-volume work, The Surgeon’s Dentist, which provided the first detailed description of the treatment of malocclusion.

He developed the “bandeau” – a curved metal strip wrapped around the teeth to widen the dental arch. It was the first tool specifically designed to move teeth using controlled force.

Fauchard also described the use of threads to support the tooth after repositioning. His work marked a critical shift from ancient myths and painful experiments to scientific methods, ultimately leading to modern braces and clear aligners.

With advances in dentistry during the 19th and 20th centuries, orthodontics became a specialized field. Metal brackets, archwires, elastic bands, and eventually stainless steel made treatment more predictable.

Later innovations—ceramic brackets, lingual brackets, and clear aligners—made the entire process more discreet. Today, orthodontics uses digital scanning, computer models, and 3D printing to achieve very precise treatment plans.

The image of ancient people wearing gold braces and catgut braces is certainly appealing and compelling, but it doesn’t fit with the evidence.

Ancient civilizations were aware of dental problems and occasionally tried simple solutions. However, they had neither the need nor the technology to move teeth the way we do now.

The real story of orthodontics begins not with the ancient world, but with scientific breakthroughs in the 18th century and beyond—a history that would be fascinating even without the myths.