In the 20th century, orthodontics began to make use of X-rays, which were discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen. In addition, Edward Hartley Angle was able to contribute even more to the advancement of orthodontics, as we already mentioned in our third part. For this reason, he is known today as the father of modern orthodontics. This brings us closer to some of the methods used in orthodontics in Berlin today.

Edward Hartley Angle’s Influence on Modern Orthodontics

After Angle began introducing systematic orthodontic treatment at the end of the 19th century, he founded the first orthodontic professional association, the first educational institution dedicated specifically to orthodontics, and the first orthodontic journal at the beginning of the 20th century. In addition, he developed other standard appliances, such as the first modern bracket systems as fixed braces for three-dimensional tooth alignment. His so-called ribbon-arch appliance forms the basis for all bracket systems used today. His classification of malocclusions, known as the Angle classes, remains recognized in modern orthodontics.

The Beginnings of X-Ray Diagnostics in Orthodontics

The discovery of X-rays in 1895 opened up new possibilities throughout medicine and thus also in orthodontics. Eugene Solomon Talbot was one of the first to use X-rays for orthodontic diagnosis. Over the course of the century, methods were developed and refined to determine malocclusions based on the anatomical relationship between the jaw, bones, and dental arches, and to plan orthodontic treatment. Starting in 1931, panoramic X-rays were introduced; in their further developed form, they have become standard diagnostic tools in modern orthodontics, as seen in Berlin. Read in our fifth part how orthodontics evolved in the second half of the last century.