Ancient Dentistry to Your Local Cosmetic Dentist—West Lafayette, IN

cosmetic dentistry history west lafayetteWhile a trip to your cosmetic dentist in West Lafayette, IN is relatively simple now,  in ancient times a dental issue wasn’t easily solved by experienced medical professionals with Novocain. But a wish for a healthy and beautiful smile is not strictly a modern concept.

Our modern understanding of cosmetic dentistry didn’t become established until recently, but the practice of maintaining and fixing teeth for health and beauty purposes can be traced beyond 2500 B.C. While it took a while to become an established profession, dentistry—and most recently cosmetic dentistry—has come a long way. Impression Dental’s cosmetic dentistry—West Lafayette, Indiana—is the product of a long and fascinating history.

Ancient Civilizations and Dentistry

Ancient Egyptians are well-known for the medical knowledge and understanding of the human anatomy. However, their understanding was limited when it came to teeth, and many Egyptians suffered from dental issues that could have been treated well with modern medicine. Because of the grain they consumed, which sometimes contained pieces of rock, they had especially unhealthy teeth. One mummified body of a young man had a multitude of cavities and sores in his mouth, which appeared to have created a deadly sinus infection, which caused his early demise. This young Egyptian wasn’t the only one to have suffered greatly from dental issues. Even King Tut had issues with his teeth – one of these being an impacted wisdom tooth.

If these two men—who were clearly of a high enough social standing to be embalmed and mummified—dealt with dental issues, imagine what the lower class’ oral health looked like.

Ancient Egyptian dentistry continued to improve enough to where they performed small dental surgeries. They also developed a pain reliever for dental pain, but oddly, they never seemed to have created a way to replace missing teeth or utilize oral prosthetics.

The Etruscan civilization of Europe was the first on record to use dental work for aesthetic cosmetic means. The first evidence of oral prosthetics were those of the Etruscan people, created by human and animal teeth from approximately 700 B.C.

The Field Evolves and Grows – Expanding Horizons for Cosmetic Dentistry in West Lafayette

Aristotle, a well-known Greek philosopher from mid-300 B.C., was one of the first people to bring attention to the importance of dental health. He wrote about common dental issues and how to treat them, actively partaking in some of these practices himself, including tooth extractions and utilizing wires to stabilize teeth and fractured jaws.

Throughout the middle ages, dental ailments were often treated by barbers and general physicians. It became a profession in and of itself, finally, in the 18thcentury. The profession continued to grow slowly. In the 20th century, cosmetic dentists became a high commodity when science finally caught up with people’s needs.

In 1989, home tooth bleaching products began to be sold, and throughout the ‘90s, veneers, implants, and bleaching became common. Cosmetic dentistry finally became an established practice.

So come to Impressions Dental—your local cosmetic dentist in West Lafayette, Indiana—where you can enjoy the refined product of over five thousand years of work.