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A Look Back at Dentistry's History

Morristown, New Jersey

Dentistry is a branch of medicine with extensive roots. Through the years, dentistry has evolved into a practice that diagnoses, prevents, and treats any disease concerning teeth, the oral cavity, and associated parts.

Our ancestors dabbled in dentistry, dating all the way back to 7000 BC in the Indus Valley civilization. Likely, the pain associated with rotting teeth and cavities prompted the search for new ways to relieve the discomfort of tooth decay.

Learning more about the practice of dentistry can often relieve anxiety about the profession and the pain that can be associated with dental work. Dentists are here to help maintain healthy teeth that can help prevent future pain connected with cavities.

Helping you feel and look your best when you smile is what the cosmetic dentists at Aesthetic Dentistry of Morristown, New Jersey are skilled at doing. When you contact Dr. Patti Swaintek-Lamb or Dr. Cheryl Tauriello, you'll be with cosmetic dentists who are qualified at helping you obtain the smile you want.

Dentistry, Through the Years

While dentistry took some time to develop into what it is today, it's often fun to look back at what our ancestors encountered with their own teeth. Some of those dental milestones are:

  • 7000 BC – first evidence of dentistry being practiced in the Indus Valley Civilization
  • 5000 BC – early texts describe legend of a “tooth worm” that causes dental cavities
  • 3000 BC – a text, written in the 17th century reflects back to this time showing the treatment of several dental ailments
  • 700 BC – first use of dental appliances evolves from the Etruscans in the way of gold crowns and fixed bridgework
  • Middle Ages – dentistry has not yet become a profession and dental procedures are performed by barbers and general physicians
  • 500-300 BC – Hippocrates and Aristotle write about the pattern of teeth eruption, treating teeth decay and gum disease, tooth extraction and wires to stabilize loose teeth and fractured jaws
  • 1530 AD – first book focused on dentistry arrives, “Artzney Buchelin”
  • 1685 AD – first dental textbook, “Operator for the Teeth” is written in English by Charles Allen
  • 1650 to 1800 AD – science of modern dentistry develops when French physician Pierre Fauchard starts dental science in the 17th century with developments like dental prosthesis, dental fillings and his findings that sugar derivative acids are responsible for tooth decay

Modern Dentistry Inventions

  • Nylon bristle toothbrush – invented in 1938
  • Electric toothbrush – invented in 1960 by the Squibb Company, under the name Broxodent
  • Toothpaste – Colgate mass-produced the first toothpaste in a jar
  • Dental Floss – in 1882 the Codman and Shurtleft Company of Randolph, MA mass-produced un-waxed silk floss for home use

If you are considering cosmetic dentistry and live in the Morristown, New Jersey area, please call our office today. The cosmetic dentists at Aesthetic Dentistry of Bernardsville will work with you to achieve the smile you desire.

Aesthetic Dentistry Of Bernardsville - Cosmetic Dentists New Jersey

10 Anderson Rd
Bernardsville, NJ 07924
(908) 221-1188 | Contact Us