For as long as human beings have walked the face of the Earth, they have experienced dental problems. Over the last few thousand years, a number of interesting dental care techniques have arisen around the world. Though many of these techniques have not always been conducted without pain, the advancements have led to a slow accumulation of knowledge through time. The end result, after much trial and error, is modern dentistry itself.

The ancient dental practices of the Middle East were as brutal as they were painful. Primitive dentists in ancient Greece used metal devices to extract teeth that could no longer be fixed. Likewise, ancient people often used wires to keep teeth in line. Because there were no real anesthetics at the time, patients often had to be held down so that these procedures could be completed. When teeth fell out, the ancient Egyptians, for example, would create synthetic bone that could then be placed in the vacated sections in the mouth and ultimately held together with gold wire. In some cases, the teeth remained in place. In other cases, they quickly fell out whenever any sort of complex chewing motion was tried.

Looking back over the history of dentistry

It is interesting to note that the profession was not considered viable until much later on. For much of European history, barbers were the ones to perform tooth extractions and other repair work. In fact, barbers were the versatile surgeons of the day. Thus, they had to know as much as possible about many different health issues.

In ancient times, most people thought that dental cavities were caused by a parasitic worm that burrowed into the tooth structure. Thus, the origins of cavities as bacteria-induced pits of decay were not known until much later. The common ailment for most moderate tooth problems was simply to yank the tooth out of the mouth. If the tooth appeared black, then it was sure to come out sooner rather than later.

During the Middle Ages, various important inventions were made. Pierre Fauchard is generally considered the ultimate innovator, and for this reason he is considered the father of the dental profession. Once certain standards were implemented, dentists could then communicate with each other formally in academic journals and other pieces of literature. As the centuries progressed, certain pain-killing medications are also developed. This way, men and women could go into the office and have their issues taken care of with much less discomfort. Gold and silver fillings also gradually gave way to composite fillings that more closely matched the color of the tooth structure itself.

In the end, a close examination of the history of dentistry yields a number of interesting techniques that were nevertheless discarded through time. As dental professionals came to refine the various treatment methods, they found they could do more to help people. Eventually, even root canals became routine. Modern dental practices owe their existence to their counterparts of previous centuries who worked hard to make changes to the profession.

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This blog post is provided on behalf of Queen’s Plate Dental located in Etobicoke. Offering a local family dentist with openings for new paitence.