A century of the edgewise appliance

The edgewise appliance, born in the mind of Dr. Edward Angle and first introduced on June 2, 1925, has withstood the test of almost a century of time and usage. The 022 standard appliance that Angle described in a series of four articles in Dental Cosmos is being used by many orthodontic clinicians in fundamentally the same form as it was presented in 1928 and 1929 in Dental Cosmos. Yes, it has been modified in innumerable ways. However, to use one of the modifications, the clinician must understand and respect the fundamentals of its use. This treatise describes the appliance’s evolution from Angle to its use today. The force system of today is simpler and more refined than what Angle envisioned but the appliance is “intact.” It is as modern as tomorrow and will continue to be used as long as the specialty exists. It was Angle’s greatest contribution.