History of Healthy Smile

Before you can begin to appreciate what the advances in modern dentistry mean to us in the modern world, we must take a look at dentistry throughout the ages.

Sumerian tablets recovered from 5,000 BC tell us that these ancient people took their dental care very seriously using the first known toothbrush. It was fashioned from a tree branch and they used it to rid themselves of "tooth worms."

Jump ahead to just 100 BC and we find a Roman medical writer named Celsus. Believe it or not, he gave treatment advice for toothaches, jaw fractures and even oral hygiene.
By the middle ages, medicine began to emerge as a vocation. Monks were the surgeons and dentists of the day because they were usually the only "educated" people in their location. They practiced from around 900 AD up until 1163 when "The Church" decided to forbade the practice.

Fortunately, barbers were privy to the knowledge once held by monks only. During that period in history, barbers visited the monasteries frequently. Monks required shaved heads then and that was a service provided by the local barber. Because of their close association, the barbers frequently assisted the monks in their medical and surgical duties. It was a natural transition for them to pick up the slack after the monks forbidden edict.

From around 1200 AD barbers eventually branched off into two separate entities. One arm continued to do routine services such as shaving, bloodletting and the extraction of teeth.
The other branch was the basis for more sophisticated medical, dental and surgical services that eventually comprised the medical community.

By the 18th Century the medical profession had fully evolved. In 1760 the earliest medically-trained dentist arrived in America from England. His name was John Baker and his was the first American dental practice.

Perhaps you have had an opportunity to view one of the movie “westerns” where you often see the town barber called upon to extract a tooth for an ailing cowboy. Even that is a far cry from modern dentistry. With the advances in science and dental medicine it is now possible for someone to have a total dental makeover, no matter what condition their teeth may be in.