There is evidence of people practicing something very much like dentistry from as early as 7000BC. It consisted in treating ailments with primitive tools such as bow drills. Though this is obviously quite different from the practice we know today, the fact that it was continued long enough to catch on means it must have enjoyed at least limited success. There is evidence found also in the writings of the ancient Egyptian, Chinese and Japanese.
Superstition was tied up heavily with the early practice. A text from 5000BC form Sumeria identified many of the problems with people's teeth with the workings of the "tooth worm"; and similar lines of thought can be found in the likes of Homer. But it was in the writings of the ancient Greeks such as Hippocrates and Aristotle that it began to get the scientific treatment it deserved: their texts contained descriptions of tooth eruption patterns, tooth decay and gum disease.
Right from the ancients up through to the middle ages, the primary method for treating tooth problems was for the problematic teeth to be extracted. Even in the middle ages dentistry was not considered a separate pursuit and so patients with complaints about their teeth would go to their barbers or general physicians to have their teeth pulled. The instrument known as the "dental pelican", invented by Guy de Chauliac in the 14th C, was the old counterpart of the forceps and was vital to the practice back then.
The first book to ever concern solely dental practice was "Artzney Buchlein" which was written in 1530. It was not until 1685 that the first dental textbook was written in English: it was called "Operator for the Teeth" by Charles Allen. And it was between this period and the 1800s that dentistry as a standalone science was developed.
The introduction of treatments such as fillings, along with the knowledge that certain substances like sugar are responsible for tooth decay are the changes that have shaped dentistry today. A person who is often referred to as the father of modern dentistry is Pierre Fauchard, the 17th C French physician.
Superstition was tied up heavily with the early practice. A text from 5000BC form Sumeria identified many of the problems with people's teeth with the workings of the "tooth worm"; and similar lines of thought can be found in the likes of Homer. But it was in the writings of the ancient Greeks such as Hippocrates and Aristotle that it began to get the scientific treatment it deserved: their texts contained descriptions of tooth eruption patterns, tooth decay and gum disease.
Right from the ancients up through to the middle ages, the primary method for treating tooth problems was for the problematic teeth to be extracted. Even in the middle ages dentistry was not considered a separate pursuit and so patients with complaints about their teeth would go to their barbers or general physicians to have their teeth pulled. The instrument known as the "dental pelican", invented by Guy de Chauliac in the 14th C, was the old counterpart of the forceps and was vital to the practice back then.
The first book to ever concern solely dental practice was "Artzney Buchlein" which was written in 1530. It was not until 1685 that the first dental textbook was written in English: it was called "Operator for the Teeth" by Charles Allen. And it was between this period and the 1800s that dentistry as a standalone science was developed.
The introduction of treatments such as fillings, along with the knowledge that certain substances like sugar are responsible for tooth decay are the changes that have shaped dentistry today. A person who is often referred to as the father of modern dentistry is Pierre Fauchard, the 17th C French physician.
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