A typical view of European Orthodontics

Abstract

Owing to the knowledge in the process of growth of face and skull, we, in Europe, have come to recognize that it is necessary to give advice as early as possible in order to prevent orthodontic deviations from normal. If deviations from the normal manifest themselves, our view is: treat as soon as possible. We do this in Europe in a way that is justified from the social point of view, by means of various simple appliances. May I introduce as my personal opinion that next to scientific knowledge, the orthodontist has to know all artistic characteristic nuances of the human face and also the value of them. In some cases the construction of the face, differing from the normal type but being harmonious, will turn the scale rather than scientific views. Here I have in mind the place the nose takes up in the face with a maxillary protrusion. If, in such a case, the teeth are brought distally, the nose still remains in the same place. In this way a pronounced factor has been brought about. This certainly can be established from cephalometric x-rays. Cephalometrics, however, is only one of the many factors from which diagnosis and therapeutics are established. (Read before the American Association of Orthodontists, Louisville, Ky., April 1951