Dentistry certainly has come a long way. Origins in civilization date back to the 1700s with texts from the renouned Dr. Fauchard, but dental work may be dated as far back as Egyptian times. Archeologists have found signs of artificially implanted teeth in mummies (they are just not sure if they were implanted post-mortem).
French artist carved this 4 inch tooth out of Ivory in 1790, depicts cavities on the left as a toothworm eating a man and on the right uses hell to symbolize the agony of a toothache.
In Europe at the beginning of the first millenium the catholic monks of the time were barbers and became proficient in tooth surgery as well.
The progress has been amazing. Denture technology has progressed from ivory teeth set in wood to lifelike teeth made from plastic or porcelain. Fillings began with slivers of gold being hammered into teeth and has progressed to chemically bonded tooth colored fillings that actually restore a damaged tooth’s strength.
Bridges that replace teeth began as tooth-shaped pieces of ivory fastened to natural teeth with wire.
They have now evolved to being natural looking, tooth-colored tooth replacements that contain no metal. They are being made of porcelain and materials related to synthetic diamonds (Zirconia) that rival the strength of metal and look great.
Aesthetic Dentistry Today
We all know the saying “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”.
Beauty is a trait based on cultural values and in our society the media has influenced our perception a great deal. A youthful, natural, healthy smile is great benchmark but there are perceptions with respect to the smile that have surpassed even this ideal. For example, the big white smiles of Hollywood have changed what North American dentists considered was the lightest colored teeth and our available materials have changed to suit this.
Fortunately many principals will always remain and our clinic offers the latest in smile design – customizing your look to what works b
