Charles H. Tweed

Charles Henry Tweed (June 24, 1895 – January 1970) was an American orthodontist known for many of his contributions to the field of orthodontics. He was a founder of the Charles H. Tweed Foundation for Orthodontic Research. Tweed a student of Edward Angle in Pasadena, California and a classmate of Raymond Begg.

Education

He was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1895. He attended Phoenix public schools until he attended Stanford University as a pre-dental student and received his D.D.S degree from University of California in 1919. After graduation, he returned to Phoenix to practice General Dentistry for next 8 years. In the year 1927, Dr. Tweed decided to join Angle School of Orthodontia after giving up his private practice. There under Edward Angle, Charles spent few years gaining knowledge of the field. He was chosen by Dr. Edward Angle to assist in preparing the edgewise bracket for introduction and manufacture. He then returned to Phoenix to work as a Private Practice Orthodontist and eventually ended up moving to Tucson, Arizona.

Career

It is important to note that Dr. Tweed's philosophy was different than Edward Angle, his mentor. Dr. Edward Angle practiced strictly without extraction of teeth to achieve harmonious occlusion. Dr. Tweed believed that extracting teeth lead to a more harmonious profile then what Angle achieved in his practice. In 1940, Dr. Tweed treated 100 patients without extractions and then treated them with extractions. He presented his findings at the AAO meeting. According to Proffit et al.,^[1] under the leadership of Charles Tweed, extraction of teeth was reintroduced into orthodontics in the 1940s and 1950s to enhance facial esthetics and occlusal relationships.

He published his first article in the Angle Orthodontist journal, titled "Reports of Cases Treated with the Edgewise Arch Mechanism".^[2] He published the textbook Clinical orthodontics in 1966 which summed up over 40 years of his research and work in the field of orthodontics.

Dr. Tweed during his discussions on a particular Orthodontic subject was famous for this saying "Just put your plaster on the table" which meant Let the Treatment Speak For Itself.

Orthodontics

Tweed is known for creating the Tweed Analysis. He believed in maximum facial harmony and balance and therefore he believed in treating the mandibular incisors over the basal bone of the mandible.

Charles H. Tweed International Foundation

The formation of the club originated in 1941. Dr. Tweed had a study club which included few orthodontists such as Sam Lewis, Copeland Shelden , Robert H. W. Strang , Cecil C. Steiner , William B. Downs , Herbert I. Margolis , Paul Lewis and Hayes Nance. The group initially met in 1941 and 1942, and due to WWII resumed their meetings in 1946. During the 1946 meeting, Dr. Tweed's study group decided to established the Charles H. Tweed Foundation for Orthodontic Research.^[3]

References

1. Profitt, William (2013). Contemporary Orthodontics (5th ed.). Mosby. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-0-323-08317-1.
2. Tweed, Charles. "Report of Cases". Angle Orthodontics. doi:10.1043/0003-3219(1932)002<0235:ROC>2.0.CO;2. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
3. "The Charles H. Tweed International Foundation". www.tweedortho.com. Retrieved 2015-12-23.