The wisdom of the bioprogressive philosophy.

This article provides a brief overview of the history of orthodontic practice and comments on the "era of limitations" that exemplified orthodontic thinking in the 1930s. In contrast, the Bioprogressive philosophy of orthodontic treatment which developed 2 decades later resulted from an attitude of academic and clinical freedom. The Bioprogressive philosophy brought many aspects of biology and function into the arena of orthodontic therapy. This technique does not follow a series of rigidly fixed treatment steps, but rather stresses a number of orthodontic principles that have stood the test of time. This article revisits and updates the Bioprogressive principles in line with the latest developments in biology and orthodontic materials.