History of Dentistry

Some people dislike going to their bi-yearly dentist appointments in the 21st century. Imagine what it was like before current dentistry practices and modern technology! Let’s see how modern dentistry came to be:

2600 BC – reference to dental practitioners. As you can imagine, this time was highlighted by rampant tooth decay, gum disease, and loss of teeth.

300 BC – Aristotle writes about using wire to secure loose teeth and jaws.

166 AD – the Etruscan people begin doing “dental work” implementing gold tooth crowns.

1210 – Two French groups emerge. One group does surgical operations and the other does routine hygienic work. At this time “dental practitioners” were called barbers.

1530 – The Little Medicinal Book for All Kinds of Diseases and Infirmities of the Teeth by Artzney Buchlein is published as the first book dedicated to dental education. This would lead others to write text on aspects of dentistry such as oral anatomy, reconstruction, and surgery.

1760 – John Baker, the first medically-trained dentist immigrates to America and sets up his practice.

1768 – Paul Revere places an ad in the Boston newspaper offering his dental services. A couple years later Paul will verify the death of Joseph Warren based on dental work, making it the first case of dental forensics.

1789 – The patent for porcelain teeth is approved.

1790 – Josiah Flagg constructs a chair made specifically for dental patients. 40 years later James Snell will develop the first reclining dental chair. 50 years after that The Wilkerson Chair is introduced as the first hydraulic dental chair.

1833 – Two brothers from France create the amalgam filling, more commonly known as silver fillings.

1839 – The American Journal of Dental Science begins publication

1840 – The world’s first dental school is founded in Baltimore.

1846 – William Morton conducts the first successful demonstration of anesthesia.

1855 – Robert Arthur creates the first example of a gold filling.

1859 – The American Dental Association is formed.

1866 – Lucy Hobbs becomes the first woman to graduate with a dental degree.

1869 – Robert Freeman becomes the first African American to earn a dental degree.

1871 – The dental industry is revolutionized by the creation of a foot-treadle dental engine.

1880 – The collapsible metal tube changes how toothpaste is marketed.

1895 – Wilhelm Roentgen discovers the x-ray, a year later, the first x-ray of a living human is conducted.

1899 – Edward Angle is credited with creating orthodontics.

1905 – Novocain is invented.

1938 – The first nylon toothbrush is created.

1945 – The water fluoridation era begins where sodium fluoride is added in small amounts to the public water system to aid in dental health.

1949 – A Swiss chemist creates bonding acrylic resin able to create tooth-colored fillings.

1960 – The first electric toothbrush is introduced.

1989 – The first at-home teeth whitening product is produced. This opens the door for “esthetic dentistry”.

1997 – The first erbium YAG laser is approved by the FDA and used on dentin to treat tooth decay.

Dentistry has advanced leaps and bounds since 3000 BC and continues to grow as the industry becomes more technologically advance. We are always excited about the newest and best thing for our patients and regularly invest in the latest technology. Contact us to learn more or schedule a cleaning.