The history of dentistry has some interesting hidden facts that will blow your mind. After reading this, you will probably be thankful that you were born in an age when dentistry was so advanced.The history of dentistry has some interesting hidden facts that will blow your mind. After reading this, you will probably be thankful that you were born in an age when dentistry was so advanced.
Dentistry was not always as painless and effective as it is today. In the absence of anaesthesia 5000 years ago, we would not have been able to get rid of toothache so comfortably.
Let me try to explain how some aspects of dentistry have developed over the years with comfortable and easy applications.
Who was the first dentist?
Dentistry dates back to 2600 BC in Egypt. At that time there were not many cavities because their diet did not contain too much sugar. But instead periodontal disease and enamel erosion were quite common.
According to ancient records on the history of dentistry, a man known as Hesy-Re can be considered the first dentist in history. However, unlike today’s dentists, Hesy-Re did not really offer long-term solutions to patients. Most solutions were short-term treatments to relieve pain.
In the Middle Ages, you had to go to a barber to treat a toothache. Not only would they pull your teeth, but they would also style your hair. While you’d probably never go to a barber for dental treatment, the upper classes had their oral health checked for the sake of fashion.
When Did the First Toothbrush Appear?
Toothbrushes have been around longer than you can imagine. Only they were made of bamboo instead of plastic and the bristles were not nylon. The use of miswak was as common as the use of brushes made of horse hair.
Believe it or not, people continued to use toothbrushes in this way until 1938.
That year, Dupont de Nemours was the first person in the history of dentistry to introduce nylon bristles. Doctor West’s Miracle Toothbrush was the first nylon toothbrush.
Later, most Americans followed the strict hygiene habits of World War II soldiers. World War II soldiers adopted strict hygiene habits and had to be more concerned with oral hygiene in their daily lives.
When was toothpaste invented?
Even before toothbrushes appeared, Egyptians began brushing their teeth with a paste around 5000 BC. The toothpaste was nothing like the normal tubes you buy in the supermarket, not to mention that its contents were very different.
Previously, people used mixtures of various substances to solve some of the problems we face now, such as keeping teeth and gums clean, whitening teeth and freshening breath. For example, they used a combination of ox hooves, ashes, burnt eggshells and pumice powder as the main ingredients. When cleaning their teeth with these mixtures, abrasions were inevitable. Toothpaste has come a long way from the shell mixture. But their common goal was the same. To keep teeth clean and freshen breath.
How did dental technology evolve?
Although some people today still hate the sound of dental instruments and think that modern dental tools are almost a nightmare, it is possible to say that dentists have come a long way compared to the tools they had to use in the past.
Thanks to modern medicine and technology, we now have a variety of options to keep you comfortable and pain-free. However, in 1810, dentists had to use tools such as a dental key.
The dental key was a tool for removing infected teeth. The clamp of the dental key was fixed deep between your tooth and gums. The aim was to pull out a tooth by slowly turning the instrument once. However, this often resulted in broken teeth, tissue damage and even jaw fractures, causing further pain in addition to infection in patients.
Thankfully, those days are long gone. Today, in addition to having different types of anaesthesia, with modern technology and more precise instruments, we can perform your treatments without pain and without damaging the surrounding tissues.
How were dentures?
Dentures date back roughly to the 7th century BC. It is known that the Etruscans made dentures using animal and human teeth. In the 1700s, when sugar was consumed excessively, denture applications accelerated.
Sugar started to cause more decay. So much so that it became rare for a person to reach the age of 50 with natural teeth. And people started to develop new techniques to save their teeth.
Today, it is possible to renew your teeth painlessly and aesthetically in a short time with hybrid porcelains, porcelain coating treatments and implant applications. Dentistry practices continue to progress and renew day by day. The main purpose of dentistry is to spend a lifetime with a healthy mouth with your own teeth. However, early compensation of losses can also make you smile freely for a lifetime.