The dentist will see you now… Part 2

 July 2017, I wrote an article, published in the Bay Magazine, about the foundation of modern dentistry.  1728, French Fauchard, the “father of modern dentistry”, published his scientific book, La Chirugien Dentiste (“The Surgeon Dentist”).  The two-volume book describes basic oral anatomy and function, signs and symptoms of oral pathology, operative methods for removing decay and restoring teeth, periodontal disease, orthodontics, replacement of missing teeth and tooth transplantation.

Thomas Rowlandson

During the 18^th century, English artist Thomas Rowlandson’s painted “Transporting of Teeth”, 1787. The central scene shows a fashionably attired dentist removing a tooth from a poor chimney-sweep with a tooth key. An aristocratic lady, who is to receive the tooth, watches with apprehension. She resorts to her smelling salts, to overcome the smell of the sweep.

1780 also saw the introduction false teeth, which made mainly out of ivory (elephant, walrus or preferably hippopotamus), with added human teeth. This would have cost in the region of £100 (£16,000 today).

How were these false teeth kept in the mouth? The lower sets were weighted and helped by gravity; the upper set were attached with piano wire springs (right) to the bottom set. These were extremely uncomfortable to wear, and it was awkward to eat – and they would often fall out. The use of ivory dentures meant that decay soon set in, with the result of a rotten taste in the mouth and evil-smelling breath.

The demand was for real teeth, but the number of live donors was limited – as was those that could be provided by body snatchers. The Battle of Waterloo occurred at the right time for the development of false teeth. On the night after the battle the dead of the French, Prussians and even the British were plundered, savaged, and even looted, which included their teeth. Teeth were sorted and shaped and sold to technicians who in turn would boil them, chop off the ends and shape them into ivory dentures. These came to be known as “Waterloo Teeth”. This practice declined due to the Anatomy Act, 1832. This Act was to stop the body snatchers dead!

The next breakthrough for dentistry was the use of vulcanite. Vulcanite is a compound made from Indian rubber, and was developed during the 1840s, by the American brothers Charles and Nelson Goodyear, of tyre fame. Vulcanite was relatively cheap. These teeth were to be used for the next 100 years.

During the 1870s, the Dental Reform Committee, was formed by leading dentist including Sir John Tomes, and Sir Edwin Saunders. The Committee helped bring unity, organisation and a code of ethics to the dental profession. 

Anyone could set themselves up as a dentist, until the passing of the Dentist Act, 1878. The Act limited the title “dentist” and “dental surgeon” to registered practitioners. Those who had practised dentistry for 5 years prior to the 1878 were the only ones to be eligible to register.  The following year, 1879, saw the first publication of the Dentist Register.

The following year, 1880, the British Dental Association was founded, after members from the Committee meet.

Karl Koller

Karl Koller, an Austrian ophthalmologist, who started his career as a surgeon at Vienna General Hospital, he was also a college of Sigmund Freud.  1884, Koller, introduced cocaine as a local anaesthetic for eye surgery.  Prior to this discovery, solutions that were used were chloral hydrate and morphine.  Cocaine was used for its tissue-numbing capabilities. With Koller’s finding, cocaine was a medical breakthrough.

A decade later, 1895, Lillian Lindsay, became the first woman to qualify as a dentist. Lindsay was also dental historian, librarian and author.

Greene Vardiman Black

The following year, 1896,  American Greene Vardiman Black, was known as the father of operative dentistry. By the age of 17, Black started to study medicine.  1857, he met Dr. J. C. Speer, who taught him the practice of dentistry.  After the American Civil War, Black, began his active career and research in the developing field of dentistry.

During his research, Black, researched into the cause of dental fluorosis, and the ideal cavity preparations. One of Black’s inventions was a foot-driven dental drill.  Black was also known for his principles of tooth preparations, in his outlines for proper methods used to prepare teeth for fillings. 1896, Black published his concepts and ideas in the text Manual of Operation Dentistry.

The first dental degree was awarded to University to Birmingham, 1901. 

Alfred Einhorn

Alfred Einhorn, the German chemist, during 1905, first synthesizing procaine, which he patented under the name of Novocain. Since 1884, with the instruction of cocaine, which had side effects, which led scientist to find a newer anaesthetic drug, Novocain was found too comparatively safe and effective.

George Northcroft

1907, George Northcroft, founded the British Orthodontic Society.  Northcroft also played an important role in the formation of the Dental Act, 1921.

1912, saw the first woman to qualify in England, with an LDS Eng, Lily Fanny Pain.  By 1914, there were 11 women dentists.

The Dentist Act, 1921 made it illegal for anyone to practice as a dentist unless they were qualified, or they could demonstrate that they bona fide dentist of five years or more standing.  Those dentists that had practise fewer than five years, had to examination, set by the Dental Board, had to been taken by July 1923.