A comparison of shear bond strengths among different self-etching primers.

By the 1980's, bonding of orthodontic brackets had become the routine technique for attaching fixed appliances to teeth, replacing the need to fit and cement bands on each tooth (1). This modification in appliance attachment revolutionized orthodontics. Before, each tooth required a band. This meant a band must be fitted, have a bracket welded to it, and be cemented onto each tooth. Not only was this process time consuming and frustrating, but it meant 4 to 6 millimeters of space per arch was needed to seat the bands. Many cases that perhaps could have been treated without tooth extraction ended up needing extractions to accommodate the band space.