Remember, remember the 5th of November! Each year on this date we look back on the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In celebration of the failed attempt on the life of James the 1st by Guy Fawkes, the United Kingdom lit bonfires and rejoiced that their King was still alive. This tradition continues today: with warm hats and scarfs and some fireworks too, families all around the UK gather to remember.
Historically we mark many occasions in a bid to affirm lessons, traditions and ideals, however, there are many events in history I’m sure we would rather forget. Throughout the years, dental treatment has progressed and adapted, and here at Paul Lowe we believe modern dentistry is a fusion of art and science, the skills of a dentist and their support team combining with on-going advances in materials to produce healthy mouths that look and feel great. We endeavor to stay up-to-date with trends and developments in our field, and, like history as a whole, we believe that evolution is key to offering the best possible service for our patients. Therefore, in the spirit of remembrance we offer you some interesting, fun and, in some cases, scary, facts on historical dentistry. Some of these we would rather forget, so before we burn them on the bonfire and celebrate our ability to move on as a society, we present them to you now.
- In ancient times, people used picks made of bone, quills, silver or gold
- A Chinese dentist once built a tower out of 28,000 human teeth.
- In the old days when dentures weren’t invented yet, dentists would do a quick surgery in implanting teeth in the mouth of a person. The teeth came from dead people!
- Aztec dentists would mix iron fillings, water and navel lint bake and insert it in the cavities to seal it.
- Toothpaste as we know it today has only been around for 100 years, previous to this people used charcoal, honey and even tobacco to brush their pearls
- The Electric Chair was invented by a dentist
- Dentists and doctors used other objects to fill teeth over the centuries, including stone chips, turpentine resin, gum, metals, cork, lead, and gold foil
- In the United Kingdom there was no formal qualification for the providers of dental treatment until 1859 previous to this it was not uncommon to visit your blacksmith if you were struggling with toothache
- Before the 1800s, there was no real anesthesia
- In China, in 1498, the first toothbrush with bristles was made, using hair from hogs, horses, and badgers. The first official commercial toothbrush was manufactured in 1938.
- In Medieval Germany, the only cure for a toothache was to kiss a donkey