• 400 BC Hippocrates wrote of attempts to straighten teeth.
   
• 1850 AD The first texts which systematically described orthodontics appeared. Dr. Norman Kingsley was among the first to use extraoral force to correct protruding teeth.
   
• 1890's AD Dr. Edward Angle, "The Father of Modern Orthodontics," was one of the first to emphasize occlusion in the natural dentition. His interest in creating proper occlusion in natural teeth created the specialty of Orthodontics.
   
• 1900 Dr. Edward H. Angle and a dozen colleagues came together to establish the organization known as the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) and the specialty today known as orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics. Ophthalmology was the only other specialty that existed at that time.
   
• 1940's AD Cephalometric radiographs were developed which allowed the orthodontist to see how the bones of the face contributed to malocclusion.
   
• 1970's AD Surgical techniques developed which allowed oral surgeons to perform surgery on patients who did not have the ability to grow any longer.