Henry Albert Baker (November 27, 1848 – April 24, 1934) was an American orthodontist who is known to introduce orthodontics to the use of intermaxilary elastics. He is also known for the Baker anchorage.

Life

Henry Albert Baker was born in

Newport, New Hampshire Newport is a town in and the county seat of Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. It is west-northwest of Concord, the state capital. The population of Newport was 6,299 at the 2020 census. A covered bridge is in the northwest. The ar ...

in 1848. His ancestors were Captain John Lowell, a renowned Indian Fighter and Hannah Dustin. He grew up at his family farm in his early years. He eventually attended

Geisel School of Medicine The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth is the graduate medical school of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. The fourth oldest medical school in the United States, it was founded in 1797 by New England physician Nathan Smith. It is o ...

. In 1873, he started practicing dentistry in

Woodstock, Vermont Woodstock is the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,005. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville, and West Woodstock. History Chart ...

. He formed the Vermont State Dental Society in 1876 and served its Vice-President. He then went to Boston Dental College and graduated from there in 1879. Dr. Baker was known for his work with the patients with Cleft Lip and Palate deformities. In 1874 he married Julia Willis and had two sons: Lawrence Willis Baker and Warren Stearns Baker. Lawrence followed his father's footsteps where he became an Orthodontic Professor at Harvard Dental School and Warren died in his early manhood years. After her death in 1918, Dr. Baker retired to

Hillsborough, New Hampshire Hillsborough, frequently spelled Hillsboro, is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,939 at the 2020 census. The town is home to Fox State Forest and part of Low State Forest. The main village of the t ...

. He died there in 1934.

Orthodontics

The elastics introduced by Baker were used to apply force in Orthodontics. Baker Anchorage combined the rubber tubing with a wire crib. EJ Tucker initially described the usage of elastics in the field of Dentistry. However, not much importance was given until Dr. Baker and Dr. Case introduced the usage of elastics for intermaxillary traction. Dr. Baker's discovery of the intermaxillary elastics was itself a source of contention between Dr.

Edward Angle Edward Hartley Angle (June 1, 1855 – August 11, 1930) was an American dentist, widely regarded as "the father of American orthodontics". He was trained as a dentist, but made orthodontics his speciality and dedicated his life to standardizing ...

and Dr.

Calvin Case Calvin Suveril Case (April 24, 1847 – April 16, 1923) was an American orthodontist who is known to be one of the earliest prominent figures in orthodontics. Case did extensive work with cleft lip and palate and is known for developing the Vel ...

. Dr. Angle supported claim by Dr. Baker about the discovery of the intermaxillary elastics contrary to Dr. Case's claim that he discovered the intermaxillary elastics. His discovery was huge in the field of Orthodontics because it eliminated the need for extracting some teeth in certain cases. This was recognized by Dr. Edward Angle in a letter that he had written to Dr. Baker. Dr. Baker was recognized by American Society of Orthodontists in 1923 where he was awarded a bronze bas relief of himself.

Awards and positions

American Association of Orthodontists Founded in 1900, the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) is the world's oldest and largest dental specialty organization. It represents nearly 19,000 orthodontist members throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. All orthodontists are ...

- Honorary Member * Vermont State Dental Society - Honorary Member * New Hampshire State Dental Society - Honorary Member

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Henry American dentists Orthodontists 1848 births 1934 deaths People from Newport, New Hampshire