The History of Dental Hygiene
The History of Dental Hygiene
Do you ever watch a movie depicting the medieval times, or read a historical fiction novel, and wonder just what exactly dental hygiene was like back
then? You hear all the intraoral camera stories of romance, so obviously it carried on despite the conditions, but really…what were the smiles like? Were teeth white or
decayed? Were they sort of straight, or gruesomely crooked, even for women? To answer some of these questions, I did some research on the history of
dental work. My results surprised me, and I'm sure you'll find them interesting too.
Let's go way, way back for a moment. Like, before 400-500BC. Archaeologists that discovered mummified beings found ancient, crude, metal bands
wrapped around individual teeth. Similar to today's orthodontic wire, it is surmised that they used catgut to close gaps. People you've heard of,
like Aristotle, cogitated over ways to straighten teeth and mend various root canal endodontic dental conditions. So, as you can see, even the people of old coveted straight, healthy teeth!
Moving on to the Greeks. The precursors of Romans, the Etruscans, buried their dead with space maintaining appliances that helped prevent collapse of
their teeth during life. In Egypt, one researcher found numerous teeth bound together with gold wire. Remember, this is still around the time of
Christ, and professionals are uncovering documentation and evidence of dental experimentation. Are those love stories you enjoy starting to dental material become more visually appealing?
subordinate assisting your dental advisor. No one had a college degree in these arts. Could make you a little bit grateful for the twenty-first
century, yes?
Now, we all loved that period of time when we had to endure braces—among the many other nuisances of puberty. Being pocket-faced and metal-mouthed
might not be an attractive manifestation, but at least it was temporary. In 1819, the wire crib marked the birth of contemporary orthodontics and
soon after, rubber bands were cut from tubing to aid the process of aligning teeth. A far cry from the dental knowledge learned in Utah colleges
today.
Anyway, at least we can all be glad for the advanced technology of today's age. Braces no longer wrap entirely around our teeth, and aren't made of
the flamboyant plated gold. Also, we are lucky enough to enjoy the benefits of many local college graduates who practice dental care. Hey, you might
be one of them! If you have a deeper interest in the hygiene of your teeth, and enjoy helping others, you could be a great candidate for Dental
Assisting College.
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