Dentists enjoy a fantastically colorful history, and navigating back through time not only shows us how far they have come, but also the inherent creativity that remains a common thread among them. This article walks you through the enthralling journey of the history of dental health professionals.
The very first false teeth date all the way back to 700 B.C. uncovered human remains provides evidence of crowns dating from the same era. However, it wasn't until centuries later that actual dentists came to be. Prior to this time, general doctors and even barbers acted as a dentist for people with oral afflictions.
Back in those times, extraction was the only treatment used for tooth ache. In and around the 16th century, ingenuity and inventiveness flourished, and the first official extraction tools were born. An online search of early dentist equipment will send chills up your spine and leave you grateful to live in the age of technology and Novocain! It was also during these times that dedicated dental health professionals came to be.
The 1700s gave birth to a very special dentist, the Father of Modern Dentistry, Mr. Pierre Fauchard. He authored the book titled 'The Surgeon Dentist, a Treatise on Teeth,' which was the first book for dentists that detailed treatment and care.
Surprising as it is frightening is the fact that dental schools weren't in existence until the mid 1800s. Nitrous oxide made its debut as a method of pain relief and anesthesia in the same time period. They were now inventing tools and methods at an impressive pace, once given the education and materials to create and heal.
The beginning of the 1900s saw the invention of their most powerful substance (according to their patients): Novocain! An American dentist invented professionally crafted crowns in the same time period.
The first nylon bristled toothbrush made its way on the market in 1938 and in the following decade, fluoride was being added to public water supplies and finally, to toothpastes and the most feared dentist's tool, the electric drill was invented.
The 1960s gave us more technologically advanced dentist's tools such as dental lasers, as well as electronic toothbrushes not just for dentists, but also for the general public's use.
Dentists began adding cosmetic services to their repertoire, as the 1990s saw vast advancement in this arena. Currently, they have expanded their practices with specialties like surgical procedures, maxillofacial treatment and orthodontics, to name a few. They continue to perfect the craft of customer service, and even provide entertaining experiences for their smallest patients.
Now you can appreciate where a dentist has come from, and if you choose to learn more, do an online search and see for yourself who and what built the foundation of modern dentistry.
