The practice of bracing teeth has been around a lot longer than you may think. In ancient times, catgut (animal intestines) was bound around crooked teeth in an attempt to straighten them out. By the 18th Century, technology had improved slightly from wrapping bits of guts around teeth, with the introduction of iron bands that pushed the teeth into place. The practice of removing premolars to allieviate overcrowding in the mouth had also been introduced, though this must have been extremely painful due to the lack of effective anesthetics.

By the 19th Century, advances in orthodontics saw the introduction of wire bracing of the type we are more familiar with today. Also at that time came rubber banding and tooth elastics, allowing the braces to be fixed firmly in place.

By the 20th Century, this technology had been perfected, and today there are a wide variety of tooth bracing techniques available to dentists that mean those with even the most messed-up mouths will, with the help of professional expertise, end up with a smile a movie star would be happy to flash at a swanky premiere.

But what goes on in the process of straightening teeth with braces? In this amazing time-lapse video, you’ll see a crooked smile being gradually transformed into a dazzling one as the braces slowly repostion the teeth into place. It’s quite extraordinary to think that a bit of wire and just the right amount of pressure can do this. Technology’s a marvelous thing!