Fun Dental Facts

We’ve Come A Long Way Since Early Dentistry

7000 BC: Evidence of the treating dental conditions with bow drills in the Indus Valley Civilization.

5000 BC: Sumarian text blames “tooth worm” for dental decay.

3000 BC: Hesi-Re in ancient Egypt, is named the first dentist. Egyptians used gold wire to bind replacement teeth to existing ones.

700 BC: Romans clean teeth with bones, eggshells and oyster shells mixed with oil.

570 BD: The siwak/miswak, a frayed stick, is used to clean teeth in the Middle East as well as in other cultures.

1498: A toothbrush is fabricated from wild boar hair on a bamboo handle in China.

1685 AD: First English dental textbook, “Operator for Teeth.”

1728 AD: Pierre Fauchard writes “Treatise on the Teeth” and is considered father of modern dentistry. He introduces dental fillings and cites sugar as a cause of dental decay.

1824: Peabody, a dentist, adds soap to toothpaste.

1840 AD: The Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, the first dental college, opens

1844: Dentist Horace Wells first uses nitrous oxide anesthesia

1873: Colgate mass-produces first toothpaste in a jar.

1895: G.V. Black formulates amalgam of silver, copper, tin and zinc to control expansion and contraction of fillings.

1945: Grand Rapids, MI becomes first city to add fluoride to its drinking-water system.

1990: The FDA approves the use of certain lasers for use on soft tissue and reduces the fear and discomfort associated with dentistry.