Although the concept of self-ligation was introduced
in orthodontics several decades ago, it was only in
the last 15 years that these appliances became available
in their current form. Marketing of self-ligating
brackets has shown a peak during the past few years
with every major orthodontic materials manufacturer
introducing a self-ligating bracket in the market
of either active or passive self-ligating mode.
It may be interesting to view the evolution of the
self-ligating concept from the perspective of the
Gartner’s hype cycle1, which was introduced in 1995
to describe the progressive stages of a new technology
from its conception to its adoption by the market.
This cycle is depicted by a characteristic curve consisting
of an initial sharp rise and a subsequent rapid
drop, followed by a plateau, and applies to both,
emerging technologies, new products or techniques.
The cycle progresses through the following stages:
1. ‘Technology trigger’, when the technology is fi rst
introduced
2. ‘Peak of infl ated expectations’, the fi rst peak after
the technology has been introduced without substantiated
information
3. ‘Trough of disillusionment’, when the technology
does not meet expectations, disappoints, and to
a large degree is abandoned
4. ‘Slope of enlightenment’ when even though the
technology has been largely abandoned, some
individuals still use it and experiment with it in
order to understand its benefi ts
5. ‘Plateau of productivity’ when the benefi ts of
the technology are evident and its performance
becomes consistent