ABSTRACT
This chapter aims expose readers to the synergistic relationship that engineering enjoys with non-traditional areas of research, namely, biomechanics. It introduces these biological areas and demonstrates how the engineer may use the tools that have been delineated in areas that can benefit greatly from their application. The chapter discusses the theory and the computational mechanics that are required for designing orthodontic appliances. Mechanical engineers tend to be very selective as to the areas of their investigations. They tend to study the basic areas of structures, heat transfer, and fluid flow. Their applications within these areas tend to follow the lines of traditional problems that engineers and physicists are most likely to encounter in industry. Structural engineers, for example, tend to study deformation, materials, and fracture mechanics. Some reasons for orthodontic therapy are functional and some are cosmetic, as may be required by one’s economic status.
