Irregularities of the teeth and their occlusion have been found in human skulls dating as far back as Neanderthal man of 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. From our ancestors to the present man, the evolutionary trend has been one of reduction of facial dimensions. Genetic drift has allowed for diminution in both the skeletal framework of the face and the dentition. Man’s facial dimensions however, are getting smaller at a greater rate than his teeth and these results in an increasing tendency towards dental crowding and protrusion of teeth.
The teeth and jaws to a great extent contribute in making or marring the beauty of face. A beautiful face is well proportioned; one with correct relationship between jaws and a set of well-aligned teeth, while imbalance in these structures is malocclusion.
Severe malocclusion leads to functional as well as psychological disturbances in the patient. The orthodontist while treating various malocclusions requires space to move teeth into a more ideal position.
Literature for gaining space dates back to as early as 1723, when Pierre Fauchard, the founder of modern dentistry, devised an appliance called “Bandelette” to expand the arches. Later, the concept of extraction of deciduous teeth and some permanent teeth came with Robert Bunon in 1743. In 1860, Emerson Angell, for the first time, used jackscrew type of device for rapid maxillary expansion.
Expansion and extraction were the only methods that ruled the 18th and 19th century as the methods of gaining space [1]. Later, several methods were introduced.
In the present era, we have the following methods of gaining space
1. Expansion.
2. Proclination of anteriors.
3. Extraction.
4. Proximal stripping.
5. Molar distalization.
6. Uprighting of molars.
7. Derotation of posterior teeth.