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Modern dentistry is extremely advanced, but did you realise dentistry has been evolving for hundreds of years? The first known dental practitioner dates back to 1092, when the first idea of surgery began. It was due to the Pope of Alexandria who decided that monks and priests should have a shaven face and a unique hairstyle, requiring a new profession to complete this task. The tools they used included razors, scissors and a lance, creating the first barber surgeons and marking the beginning of surgery as a profession. 

In those days, dentistry was practised primarily by barbers and other artisans like goldsmiths, wig makers, blacksmiths and even bloodletters and priests. None of these early practitioners had any formal academic training and instead used the instruments available during the mediaeval age to remove and try to repair teeth. Priests had an advantage because they could read medical texts and became physicians. 

However, priests could not perform any invasive procedures because they were not allowed to have blood on their hands. Because of this distinction, physicians began to separate from surgeons, creating two distinct professions. This separation is easy to see even today; for example, the Royal College of Physicians is separate from the Royal College of Surgeons here in Australia.

As the two professions evolved, barber surgeons were ranked lower than physician priests with their more formal education. Yet barber surgeons gained valuable experience treating sailors and soldiers wounded on battlegrounds and voyages. But it wasn’t until Pierre Fauchard began practising as a naval surgeon in the court of Louis XIV that modern dentistry was born. Pierre is considered the father of modern dentistry, a profession he decided to pursue after lacking the money to train as a surgeon. Dentistry did not need a costly apprenticeship. Pierre had already learned more than most dentists during his apprenticeship to Alexandre Poteleret, surgeon in chief to the king’s ship.

Pierre Fauchard published his book at the turn of the 18th century, describing the scientific knowledge of dentistry at that time. It includes using obturators made from ivory to treat cleft palates and using prosthetic appliances to replace missing teeth and the innovation of new dental instruments.

Another turning point was the introduction of anaesthesia in dentistry by Dr Horace Wells from Connecticut. He was the first patient to have a tooth removed using happy gas or Nitrous oxide. In October 1846, ether was used as a surgical anaesthetic for the first time by William Morton, making it possible to receive painless surgery. Amalgam was first introduced in the US in 1833 and was the restoration of choice for many years. Only relatively recently has amalgam been replaced by newer, more aesthetically pleasing materials like tooth-coloured composite resin.

Until the middle of the 19th century, dentures were made from ivory, human bone or metal material. It wasn’t until 1851 that they were replaced by vulcanised rubber, invented by Charles Goodyear. Dental drills have been around for thousands of years, but it wasn’t until 1868 that an American dentist called George F Greene invented a pneumatic drill operated by a foot pedal and an electric drill seven years later.

Toothpaste wasn’t invented until 1850, and the role of fluoride in preventing tooth decay wasn’t discovered until the early 20^th century.

You may think dental implants are a new invention, but they date back to the Mayan civilisation in 600AD. However, modern dental implants weren’t developed until 1965 by Dr Per Ingvar Branemark.

Nowadays, thankfully, we can carry out sophisticated dental treatments painlessly and can restore even complete arches of teeth using the latest dental implant systems. Digital dentistry is becoming increasingly common, enabling us to provide patients with precision-made restorations that look and feel like real teeth. The one thing we cannot do just yet is to grow a completely new set of adult teeth, but who knows what will happen in the future.

Good oral hygiene is crucial if you want strong and healthy teeth. Additionally, it helps protect your overall health. Gum disease, a common gum infection, is increasingly linked to serious health conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. Brushing your teeth at least twice daily is one of the best ways to keep your mouth healthy, fresh and clean, but deciding which toothbrush is best isn’t always so easy. A huge range is available, including electric toothbrushes and disposable or manual toothbrushes. We’ve put together some tips for choosing the best toothbrush, whether you opt for an electric toothbrush or a manual toothbrush.

Choose the Right Sized Toothbrush Head

Ensure you pick a toothbrush head that is small enough to allow you to clean all tooth surfaces easily. It must be small enough to fit right to the back of the mouth to clean around those hard-to-reach molars. Ensure the toothbrush handle fits comfortably in your hand and is easy to manipulate.

Choosing the Right Bristles

It may seem that choosing a hard-bristled toothbrush is the best option for cleaning your teeth thoroughly, but this isn’t the case. Instead, choose a toothbrush with soft bristles as you don’t need to scrub your teeth hard to get them thoroughly clean. It’s more about using the right technique; using a hard bristled toothbrush could damage your teeth and gums.

Is It Better to Choose a Disposable or Electric Toothbrush?

Your choice of toothbrush is largely down to personal preference, but there are some points to remember, and these include:

Cost

An electric toothbrush can cost far more than a manual toothbrush, and then you need to budget to replace the toothbrush head every three months or more often if it starts to look worn. A manual toothbrush only costs a few dollars and is easy to purchase. However, if an electric toothbrush helps you clean your teeth more thoroughly, you could enjoy lower dental bills and better dental health overall.

Comfort

Choose the toothbrush you feel most comfortable using and are likely to use regularly. Although effective, not everybody likes the feel of a vibrating electric toothbrush. However, others may find an electric toothbrush is easier to hold, especially if they have painful conditions like arthritis that reduce their dexterity. Choosing a toothbrush that feels comfortable to hold means you are more likely to brush your teeth for the recommended two minutes each time.

Effectiveness

Numerous studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of manual toothbrushes compared with electric brushes. These have largely concluded there is very little difference between them in their ability to remove dental plaque and food debris effectively. However, this does rely on people using the right brushing techniques and cleaning their teeth for the full two minutes. Electric toothbrushes usually have built-in timers that make it easy to brush for the correct length of time, but if you prefer a manual brush, consider placing a small timer in your bathroom or using the timer on your smartphone.

Smiling is a wonderful way to express emotion and connect with others, and there are some real benefits to smiling more frequently. However, it is often easier to frown than to crack a smile, especially at the end of a long and stressful day, but if you can force your features into a grin, you will probably feel all the better for doing so, and here is why smiling is so powerful.

Release Those Feelgood Endorphins 

Whenever you smile, your brain releases neuropeptides that help fight stress. It also releases neurotransmitters that include endorphins, dopamine and serotonin. Endorphins can relieve mild levels of pain, while serotonin is well-known as an antidepressant. It’s been suggested that smiling can help you recover more quickly from stress and lower your heart rate. Initially, faking a smile can boost your happiness level and your mood.

Making Others around You Feel Better

The feel-good factor isn’t just limited to you; when you smile, it can positively impact those around you. Seeing somebody smiling at you activates the reward centre in your brain, making you feel a bit better. Also, when someone smiles, it’s infectious and very difficult not to smile back, increasing feelings of happiness.

Making You Feel Happier in the Workplace

When you are happy and smiling at work, it can help improve your performance, increasing productivity. It appears that positive emotions like smiling and happiness can have a stimulating effect, while negative emotions like feeling sad can have the opposite effect. Smiling more can make you a more efficient and creative worker, enabling you to learn and make decisions more effectively.

Enjoy Better Relationships

Smiling is an important way of communicating with others and helps increase social bonds. One study discovered that smiling and laughter benefit emotional well-being in couples, increasing their closeness and deepening their relationship.

You Might Live Longer

Those people who smile and laugh more frequently may enjoy longer lives than those who don’t. A 15-year study in Norway discovered that women with a strong sense of humour lived longer than those without it. They were far less likely to die from heart disease and less likely to suffer from infections. In comparison, men with a good sense of humour only seem to be protected against infection. 

There’s a good reason why smiling and laughter can protect your health as it stimulates your organs and can increase your intake of oxygen, stimulating your muscles and your heart and decreasing blood pressure. When you feel less stress, it’s easier to enjoy more fulfilling social relationships, and a general sense of happiness can help you weather the effects of ageing, and any stressful situation life throws at you more effectively.

The easiest way to smile confidently is to make sure you visit us regularly for dental checkups and cleans. We can make sure your teeth and gums are in great shape, and professionally cleaning your teeth will give an additional sparkle to your smile.