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The is the only book that describes the decline of the golden age of orthodontics -- how a group of affluent professionals came face-to-face with threats to their status quo, how the group belatedly dealt with them, and how these forces left an indelible mark. Although the decline had been overcome by the late 20th century, today's practitioner must now cope with new challenges. A native of Chicago and a West Point graduate, Norman Wahl was commissioned in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps in 1946. After 3 years of service, he worked in the film studios, later producing two documentary films on the history of Los Angeles. He finally decided on a career in dentistry, specializing in orthodontics. In addition to a BS degree from the US Military Academy, Dr Wahl has a DDS from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry, an MS in orthodontics from Northwestern University, and an MA in history from California State University at Northridge. He has written for the military and lay presses as well as for dental publications, mostly on orthodontic history. He is the author of Oral Signs and Symptoms, Wahl's Oral Histories, Who Was Who in Orthodontics with a Selected Bibliography of Orthodontic History, and articles in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (including the 16-chapter series, "Orthodontics in 3 Millennia"), the Angle Orthodontist, the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, Dental Economics, and the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin. He has also taught orthodontic history at the UCLA College of Dentistry. Dr Wahl lives with his wife, Betty, in Sequim, Washington, and divides his time between writing, freelance copyediting, and playing the piano for local retirement homes. Golden Age is an outgrowth of his master's thesis (CSUN, 1997). Having started his practice in 1963, he considers himself an eyewitness to the decline.
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