5 Interesting & Surprising Facts About Our Dental History
Dental hygiene and dentistry may seem like a recent fad in the world, but our history and archaeological findings around the world suggest that dentistry and its study goes way back. As comfortable dentistry is to everyone now, the journey to modern dentistry from ancient times is far more interesting. The history of dentistry gives us an insight into the development of modern practices and what our ancestors must've gone through in their modern times.
This article covers some of the most interesting, fun, and surprising facts about the dental history of humans. Make these some interesting trivia you can give your friends or begin a conversation with. Here we go:
What are Some Fun Facts About Dental History?
The Earliest Known Dentist: Archeologists have been finding traces and evidences of correctional dental activities all over the world. The earliest signs of tools usage on teeth go as far back as Neanderthal era, some 1.3 Lakh years ago. Latest archeological evidence suggests that dentistry had become a practice some 7500-9000 years ago during Harappan civilization.
Toothbrushes and Toothpicks Aren’t New Inventions: People haven’t just started using brushes and toothpicks to clean their teeth. It is a practice that goes back millennia, where people used to chew on the ends of tree twigs to spread the fibres, that were then used to clean teeth. The other end of the twig was sometimes carved into a toothpick to pick food from between teeth.
Toothpaste isn’t new either: The concept of using toothpaste to get them sparkling white teeth hasn’t been a new one either. Ancient Greeks, Chinese, and Indians have been believed to be the first ones to make use of toothpaste, way back in 500 BC. A document approximately 1500 years old has mentioned the recipe for white teeth, which creates a clean toothpaste upon mixing with the saliva.
George Washington’s Dentures: George Washington, the first president of America had one of the most extravagant sets of dentures. His dentures contained natural teeth of his own and his slaves, gold, hippopotamus tusk, and elephant ivory. You cannot talk about dental implant cost without thinking how much his dentures must have cost. Well, only 122 shillings, as it turns out. Another great trivia about George Washington is that when he was elected as the president of America, he only had one remaining natural tooth.
First Reclining Dental Chair: You cannot imagine a visit to the doctor without the high-tech reclining chair inside his office. Although dental chairs have been around since the beginning of the 18th century, the first major breakthrough towards their current form happened in the year 1958. Dr Sanford Golden and his colleagues designed the first fully-reclining dental chair in 1958, which quickly gained popularity all around the world.
So these were some great facts about the history of dentistry that you can think about the next time you brush or visit a dentist. It is a great journey that dentistry and oral hygiene has taken through our history and gives us an insight into how our understanding and curiosity has changed the course of our evolution.
