Did you know?????

• Paul Revere, in addition to earning a living as a silversmith and copper plate engraver, also worked as a dentist. Revere , in fact, is the first person known to use dental forensics, to identify the body of a colonial colonel killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill by the bridge appliance he wore.

• Brushing teeth used to be a rather disgusting activity, as toothpaste was made from various combinations of ash, charcoal, and/or tobacco, sometimes sweetened with honey. Some cultures actually used urine as a whitening mouthwash (urine contains urea, which somehow helps whiten teeth).

• During the Middle Ages, wealthy Europeans used twigs made out of sweet-smelling wood to clean their teeth.In 1498, the Emperor of China implanted hog bristles in a bone handle. This style of toothbrush became popular throughout Asia and Europe. However, because of the cost of hog bristles, poor people could not afford individual toothbrushes, so a whole family would share the same toothbrush. Believe it or not, most Americans didn't brush their teeth until soldiers brought the Army's enforced brushing habit back home from World War II.

Dental History

18th-century

Tooth extraction keys were named because of their resemblance to skeleton door keys. This 18th century iron key is about 6 inches long.

Mid 1800s

Traveling dentists, moving from town to town to provide dental care, would have transported their instruments in a leather roll.

1893

The Favorite Dental Chair, manufactured by the Ritter Dental Manufacturing Company.  It was put on the market on January 1, 1901 and cost between $150 and $172 depending on whether the upholstery was ordered in seal leather, cane, or mohair plush. The sectional headrest was $10 extra. The range of the Model No. 1 Favorite Chair was from 18 inches at the lowest position to 35 inches at the highest position. The lowest position of the chair when tilted back was 12 inches.

Late 1800s

Eight months after the discovery of the x-ray was announced in 1896, Louisiana dentist C. Edmund Kells demonstrated the first dental application of this new technology in the U.S (Pictured x-ray tube, Machlett Company, 1913)

1958

The Den-Tal-Ez Chair was the first successful reclining dental chair.  Within a decade of its introduction almost all dentists were using reclining dental chairs.