Dentistry Through History

  • 3500 BCE

    The First Toothbrush

    Babylonians would fray the edge of twigs to use to clean their teeth. They would chew on one end while using the other end as a toothpick.
  • 2500 BCE

    Dentistry Begins

    In Egypt there has been evidence that oral surgery was first started. Skulls showed signs of cavity holes.
  • 2250 BCE

    Introducing Anesthesiology

    The Babylonians introduced a way to reduce pain with cavities. They would mix hen bane seed with gum mastic.
  • 1000 BCE

    Numbing Medicine

    In India they would use wine during operations. They believed that the wine would numb the teeth so you would not feel pain.
  • 800 BCE

    Mayans Reason to Operate

    They would work on teeth strictly for ritual or religious purposes. Not necessarily for dental hygiene.
  • 600 BCE

    Teeth Replacement

    Evidence of teeth replacement begins. They would use animal teeth and keep them in with a cord.
  • 400 BCE

    Hippocrates

    He is the first person to describe diseases of the mouth. He was basing these off of stories he would hear from people's death.
  • 42

    Mouthwash?

    Romans would order shipments of Portuguese urine. They believed that this urine had more ammonia in it that would clean their teeth more efficiently.
  • 364

    Aristotle's Wisdom

    Aristotle writes about dental hygiene and the importance of it. He also writes about oral hygiene treatment methods.
  • 700

    Islamic Toothbrush

    The Siwak was a toothbrush made for cleaning teeth that was used in Islam. They also had a horse shoe shaped metal object for cleaning teeth.
  • 1000

    Treating Toothaches

    In China they would treat toothaches by using arsenic. They specialized in the oral cavity.
  • 1210

    Guild of Barbers

    Before dentist was the word used for dentistry they were called Barbers. There were educated barbers that would do intense surgeries and then regular barbers that would do routine check ups.
  • 1563

    Libellus de dentibus

    Bartolomeo Eustachi publishes Libellus de dentibus. This was the first book on dental anatomy.
  • Porcelain Teeth

    Porcelain teeth were invented and were the only thing used for dentures. They were more efficient than what was used before.
  • New Ingredient to Toothpaste

    Soap was added to toothpaste in order for it to be more effective. After using this it changed to sodium lauryl sulfate for a smoother paste.
  • New Toothbrushes

    The British dental association is founded. Also the first electric toothbrush was invented.
  • X-Rays

    Charles Edmund Kells introduced X-rays. This helped people really understand what method of treatment to proceed with.
  • Orthodontics School

    Edward Angle starts the first school of orthodontics. He came up with a simple classification for crooked teeth that we still use today.
  • Britain's New Law

    Only registered dentist can practice dentistry. Before anyone who thought they knew what they were doing could operate.
  • Adding Fluoride

    The first fluoride toothpastes are marketed. They believed that this would help more with tooth decay