The history of dentistry can be traced back to ancient civilizations, where evidence of dental treatments can be found in ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman remains. However, it wasn’t until the 18th and 19th centuries that dentistry began to develop into a professional field as we know it today.
In ancient times, people believed that tooth worms caused toothaches, and the only treatment was to drill a hole in the tooth and burn the worms out. This was a painful and often ineffective treatment. In ancient Egypt, dental treatments were performed by priests, who used various methods, including extracting teeth, filling cavities with a mixture of resin and beeswax, and applying gold leaf to damaged teeth.
The ancient Greeks and Romans also had some knowledge of dentistry and believed that dental problems were caused by an imbalance in the four senses of humor of the body. They attempted to treat these problems with various methods, including using wire to hold loose teeth in place and using acid for etching designs onto teeth.
It wasn’t until the 18th and 19th centuries that dentistry began to develop into a more scientific field. In 1723, French dentist Pierre Fauchard published “The Surgeon Dentist,” which was a comprehensive treatise on the art of dentistry. This book contained detailed descriptions of dental procedures, including how to extract teeth and how to make artificial teeth.
In the United States, dentistry began to professionalize in the mid-19th century. In 1859, the first dental school was established in Baltimore, Maryland. This school, called the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, was the first institution in the world to offer formal education in dentistry.
As dentistry developed, new techniques and technologies were introduced. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the anesthesia made dental procedures much more comfortable for patients. In the mid-20th century, the invention of the air turbine drill revolutionized the way dentists performed fillings, and the introduction of fluoride in the 1950s significantly reduced the incidence of tooth decay.
Today, dentistry is highly advanced, with various treatments and technologies available to keep our teeth and mouths healthy. From simple cleanings and fillings to complex procedures like root canals and dental implants, dentistry plays a vital role in maintaining our overall health and well-being.