Early Life and Education - Born on August 14, 1893 in Jackson, Tennessee - Youngest of five children - Attended the Webb School of Knoxville, Tennessee after his mother's death in 1908 - Attended Northwestern University Dental School in 1919
Career and Contributions in Orthodontics - Practiced dentistry in Arizona before moving to Denver and opening his own practice - Developed the Nance Appliance to prevent upper first molars from moving forward after premature loss of the maxillary first primary molar - Pioneered the development of serial extraction in the United States - Described the concept of leeway space in human teeth - Published a paper titled 'Limitations of Orthodontic Treatment' in 1947, summarizing his 17 years of orthodontic work
Recognition and Awards - Diplomate of American Board of Orthodontics - President and honorary member of the Charles H. Tweed Foundation - President and honorary member of the Southern California Component of Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontia - Received the Albert H. Ketcham Memorial Award in 1963
Personal Life - Married Julia Manning and later Florence Hays - Involved in an accident while working in a copper mine in Miami, Florida - Retired in 1948 - Died on April 3, 1964 at his home in Pasadena, California due to a heart attack
References and Published Work - Wrote a paper in 1947 titled 'Limitations of Orthodontic Treatment' - Adams, Mahlon (1964). Hayes N. Nance. Angle Orthodontist, 34: 327. - Nance, Hays N. (April 1947). The limitations of orthodontic treatment - American Journal of Orthodontics and Oral Surgery, 33 (4): 177–223. doi:10.1016/0096-6347(47)90051-3. PMID20291149.