Five Fun Facts About The History Of Dentistry

Dentist Blog

Today, dentists are capable of fixing a wide array of dental problems, from simple cavities to extremely crooked smiles. They can even replace missing teeth with implants that look and feel just like natural teeth. The dental industry was not always this remarkable, however. Today's advanced dental procedures and comprehensive care are the result of many years of research and development. The history of the dental profession is quite intriguing. Here's a look at a few facts that will make you appreciate today's dentists.

Hippocrates and Aristotle wrote about early dentistry.

In their writings, they detailed primitive dental procedures, which included the use of wires to stabilize loose teeth. That could not have been too comfortable.

Dentistry was not as regulated as other medical procedures in the Middle Ages.

As early as the 1400s, European nations began regulating who could and could not practice medicine. A series of decrees in France, for example, made it illegal for anyone without specialized training to perform surgical procedures. However, these decrees specifically included dental extractions on a list of procedures that lay people could legally perform.  Essentially, anyone from a local chicken farmer to the town blacksmith could extract a tooth.

Dentistry began emerging as a formalized profession in the 1700s.

During this time, some medical doctors began focusing on dental treatments. In 1790, Josiah Flagg constructed a chair specifically intended for dental patients. The first patent for porcelain teeth was also issued during this time period.

The American Dental Association was formed in 1859.

The Association was initially formed by 26 dentists who met in Niagara Falls, New York. The organization adopted its official constitution in 1860, and its first Code of Ethics in 1866. In the 1900s, the ADA began playing a formal role in regulating the education standards of dental schools to ensure that all dentists received similar and proper training. Throughout the following decades, the ADA began to recognize specialized fields of dentistry, such as pediatric dentistry and prosthetic dentistry.

In the 2000s, the ADA and dentists began really focusing on patient education.

Mouth Healthy, the ADA's website for patient information, was launched in 2012. It offers comprehensive information about dental care, common procedures, and oral hygiene in easy-to-understand formats. Many of today's dentists also emphasize education, realizing that well-informed patients are more likely to care for their teeth properly and seek dental care when necessary.

The next time you have a cavity or a toothache, consider yourself lucky to have been born in the era or modern dentistry. Going to the dentist may not be fun, but had you lived a few hundred years ago, your treatment may have involved yanking your tooth out with a wire and using leeches to control the bleeding!

For more information, check out dentist such as Hurst Family Dental

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11 February 2015

Mouth Rinses Are Not Just for Bad Breath

I have always brushed and flossed my teeth daily, but I still had the occasional cavity when I visited the dentist for a check-up. He told me it was normal to have a cavity on occasion and that I shouldn't let it stress me out too much. Well, I am not one to just accept any problem I am having, so I started looking into how to improve my oral hygiene even more. I had always thought mouthwash was just to improve your breath, but I found some that said they helped keep cavities away. I started using one every day before bed. I haven't had a cavity in two years now, and I think the mouth rinse is the reason! I created this blog to remind other people that even if they brush and floss regularly, they can always find ways to take even better care of their teeth.