Ingenious dental professionals created teeth separators over 130 years ago that enabled the effective access to and restoration of interproximal tooth decay. Many companies claimed superiority in their products and key individuals expounded on their use. Because separators were often intertwined with matrix bands, confusion was present as both the separators and matrix bands were often referred jointly as matrices in textbooks, journal publications and dental catalogues. However, these authors who focused exclusively on teeth separation for restorative purposes, detailed the concepts of separation quite clearly. In time the use of these entities was replaced by other methods to manage these secluded tooth surfaces. However, orthodontic tooth movement picked up on the use of different types of non-mechanical separators in the early 1900s in their simplicity to create space to facilitate band placement. Further evolution coincided with material development that enabled ease of placement for both the dentist and the patient.
Keywords: Elastics; orthodontic spacers; proximal restorations; teeth isolation; teeth separators.
Copyright 2020 © American Academy of the History of Dentistry.