MY TEETH
A series of costly dental appointments last year made me more aware of my teeth.
And while air travel was paused, numerous x-rays filled my radiation quota.
I blame genetic factors, over-enthusiastic school dental nurses, and a ‘sweet tooth’ for my current dental situation. From now on my smile will be dependent on root canals, implants and sessions with a dental hygienist. Ouch!! And that’s just my bank account speaking.
Our teeth are unique, like our fingerprints. Even identical twins don't have identical teeth.
This is why dental records are used to identify human remains.
Apparently, tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the body… it’s even stronger than bone. But teeth are not able to repair themselves, hence the advent of dentistry.
Dentistry is one of the oldest medical professions in the world.
7000 B.C. – 5500 B.C.
Ancient Egyptians (around 5000 BC) were the first recorded humans to have had replacement teeth. And in what is now Pakistan, teeth dating from 7000 BC to 5500 B.C. were found with holes thought to be made from dental drills.
500-300 B.C.
Hippocrates (an ancient Greek physician) and Aristotle (an ancient Greek philosopher) both wrote about dentistry; teeth, gum disease, how to use forceps to extract teeth, and how to stabilise loose teeth and fractured jaws with wire.
500-1000 A.D.
Monks generally performed dentistry (as well as surgery and other medical practices) since they were the most educated people at this time. Barbers sometimes assisted the monks with medical procedures.
700 A.D
The Chinese used fillings made of amalgam.
1130-1300 A.D.
The Pope forbade monks from performing extractions, bloodletting, or surgeries. The first professional “dentists” emerged in Europe, calling themselves “barber surgeons.” These physicians performed bleeding, cupping, leeching, and tooth extractions for their dental patients.
1530 A.D
In Germany, Artzney Buchlein published the first book solely about dentistry called The Little Medicinal Book for All Kinds of Diseases and Infirmities of the Teeth. The book addresses placing gold fillings, extracting and drilling teeth, and oral hygiene.
1723
Pierre Fauchard published the first comprehensive outline for practising dentistry The Surgeon Dentist, A Treatise on Teeth.
1873
Colgate mass-produced the first toothpaste, and toothbrushes followed a few years later.
1895
W.C. Röntgen reported the discovery of x-rays, a new type of radiation able to go through screens of notable thickness. He named them x-rays to underline the fact that their nature was unknown.
1957
The first high-speed dental drill was invented by John Borden.
2012
Mr Bean Goes To The Dentist was uploaded to Youtube.
2022
fleaBITE releases MY TEETH music video