Post date: Oct 25, 2010 11:42:28 AM
Dentists and dental supplies are nothing new, in fact, it's
been said that the practice of dentistry has been around
since nearly 7000 B.C., originating in the Indus Valley
Civilization. The dentist supplies have indeed evolved from
their primitive beginnings into the advanced dentist
supplies we have today, but have you ever wondered about how
they go to this point? In order to help us appreciate the
sheer marvel that is modern dentistry, we need understand
the past.
As mentioned above, the Indus Valley Civilization has leftbehind evidence of dentistry being practiced in theirsociety, as far back 7000 B.C. Records have shown that theirearly form of dental work cured tooth diseases with bowdrills commonly used by artisans and bead craftsmen.Scientists have reenacted this form of dentistry and haveproved that although primitive and probably extremelypainful, the reenactments ruled that these early forms ofdentistry and dental supplies were effective.Furthermore, the 18th century Code of Hammurabi referenceddental extraction in reference to punishment. (Which isprobably where the fear of dentistry practices first began).It has also been determined that ancient Greek scholarsHippocrates and Aristotle wrote about dentistry, includingthe growth pattern of teeth, and how to treat decayed teethand gums. The first known book that completely discussed
dentistry was the Artzney Buchlein and it was published in
1530. The first English dentist textbook was called Operator
For the Teeth by Charles Allen and it was published in 1685.
It was during this period that modern dentistry really
started to take off.
Pierre Fauchard, 17th century French physician, is said to
be the man responsible for starting the modern dentistry
science revolution and really revolutionized the practice
with his book The Surgeon Dentist. He is aptly named "the
father of modern dentistry". Some of his many developments
include the use of dental prosthesis, the advent of dental
fillings, and he pioneered the notion that sugar derivative
acids like tartaric acid are one of the culprits of tooth
decay.
The first dental school is the Baltimore College of Dental
surgery and it opened in 1840. Shortly after, Philadelphia
Dental College was founded in 1863. As education and
technology developed, so did the amount of dental school and
practicing dentists. It is interesting to note that Doc
Holiday, the famous Wild West figure, was a dentist before
he decided that gunfighting and gambling were his true
callings. In fact, he earned his degree in dental surgery at
the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery, and had offices
in Atlanta and Dallas.
All in all, modern dentists and dentist supplies wouldn't be
what they are today without the courageous innovators of the
past. One look at some ancient dental supplies, and you're
sure to appreciate the modern dentist supplies that your
practitioner uses.
About the Author:
http://www.dealondental.com/ - The internet's retailer of
thousands of discount dental supplies to dental
professionals. Visit our blog at