Are you ready for a little history lesson? Okay – maybe you’re thinking, “I didn’t come here for a boring lecture.” Of course, when history is looked at from the right angle, it’s far from boring. Even dental history can have fascinating details. Along the way, comfort, sedation, and incredible cosmetic innovations have made smiling proudly an easier concept for many people. From oral hygiene to tooth replacement, if it weren’t for a rich history, your teeth and gums might not be in the shape which they are currently in.
Early Oral Hygiene
Can you imagine whitening your smile with urine? It might sound insane, but it did happen in ancient Egypt. The Egyptian people of many years past had interesting ideas about toothpaste as well. They would cleanse teeth with a creative blend of eggshells, myrrh, and pumice. According to historians, toothbrushes did not become commonplace until roughly 2000 years later. Most likely Egyptians used their fingers to scour their smiles with the homemade powder. In the 1850’s, jarred toothpaste (known as Crème Dentifrice) became available to the public. Mass marketing of the product by the Colgate company began in 1873, but it would take over 20 years more to come up with the tubes of toothpaste we know today.
Early Dental Restorations
Dental restorations are traceable back to 700 BC. The Etruscans were people in an Italian region known for meticulously crafting pure gold bands that were the base for artificial teeth. These were the first known means for capping damaged teeth or replacing entirely missing teeth. By 200 AD, early versions of dental crowns and bridges made out gold were commonplace. Other materials which have been utilized in dentistry over history include ivory, bone, and human teeth which were previously extracted. As you can tell, we are lucky to live in a time and place when dental implant technology, and other high quality restorations for damaged teeth are readily available.
ABOUT YOUR LINCOLNSHIRE DENTIST:
Dr. Brent Engelberg and his highly-skilled team proudly serve patients and their families from Arlington Heights, IL, and all surrounding communities, including; Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, and the Northern and Northwest Chicago Suburbs. To learn more, schedule a consultation online, or call our office today at 847-259-8030.
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