Inquiring Minds Want To Know… History Of Dentistry!

DENTISTRY IS ONE OF THE OLDEST medical professions, dating back to 7000 B.C. with the Indus Valley Civilization. However, it wasn’t until 5000 B.C. that descriptions related to dentistry and tooth decay were available. At the time, a Sumerian text described tooth worms as causing dental decay, an idea that wasn’t proven false until the 1700s!

Dentistry’s Timeline

In ancient Greece, Hippocrates and Aristotle wrote about dentistry, specifically about treating decaying teeth, but it wasn’t until 1530 that the first book entirely devoted to dentistry—”The Little Medicinal Book for All Kinds of Diseases and Infirmities of the Teeth”—was published.

By the 1700s, dentistry had become a more defined profession. In 1723, Pierre Fauchard, a French surgeon credited as the Father of Modern Dentistry, published his influential book, “The Surgeon Dentist, a Treatise on Teeth”, which for the first time defined a comprehensive system for caring for and treating teeth. Additionally, Fauchard first introduced the idea of dental fillings and the use of dental prosthesis. He also identified that acids from sugar led to tooth decay.

In 1840, the first dental college (Baltimore College of Dental Surgery) opened, establishing the need for more oversight. In the United States, Alabama led the way by enacting the first dental practice act in 1841, and nearly 20 years later, the American Dental Association (ADA) was formed. The first university-affiliated dental institution, the Harvard University Dental School, was founded in 1867.

By 1873, Colgate had mass produced the first toothpaste, and mass-produced toothbrushes followed a few years later.

What may come as a surprise is that the first African American to earn a dental degree dates all the way back to 1869, and the first female dental assistant was employed in New Orleans in 1885. What might be most surprising of all is that most Americans did not adopt good brushing habits until after World War II, when soldiers stationed abroad brought the concept of good oral health back to the United States!

Other Fun Teeth Facts

  • Hesy-Re was an Egyptian scribe who lived around 2600 B.C. and is recognized as the first dental practitioner.
  • Paul Revere, famous for warning Colonial troops that the British were coming, was also trained as a dentist by America’s first dentist, John Baker.
  • Edward H. Angle, who started the first school of orthodontics in 1901, created a simple classification for crooked teeth in the late 1800s, a system still in use today.
  • The first dental X-ray was used in 1896.

Credits to: http://www.adea.org/GoDental/Prehealth_Advisors/History_of_Dentistry.aspx

We love our patients!

Pence Family Dentistry members of Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation
Voted best dentist in Indiana 2022 by Expertise
Pence Family Dentistry in Indianapolis is an American Dental Association member
International
Indiana Dental Association membership badge
Contact Us

    317-842-2337
    9744 Lantern Rd Fishers, IN 46037
    We are happy to welcome Dr. Richard Weber, DDS, and his patients to our practice!
    This is default text for notification bar

    TEXT OUR OFFICE

    Text message is limited to 160 characters.

    HOW IT WORKS

    1. Enter your Name.
    2. Enter your Cell Phone Number, area code first
    3. Enter your text message in the box.
    4. Click "Send Text"
    5. A copy of this text will be sent to the office and to your cell phone. The office's reply will also be sent to your cell phone where you can continue the text conversation.
    Note: Mobile message and data rates from your cell phone carrier may apply.Close ClickToCall Button
    NagiosCheckValue - Do not remove please