Incredible Historic Dental Facts You Need to Know
If you regularly read this blog, you understand our commitment to sharing great information about your dental health and overall dental care. There is nothing more important to me than educating my patients and using the latest tools to treat their dental problems. In order to appreciate the latest technology, it’s important to look back at how far dentistry has evolved over the years — centuries even.
Today I want to share some interesting dental facts that have paved the way for the modern treatment we have in my St. John and Valparaiso dental offices.
Dental implants were discovered by mistake. When
the Swedish researcher Per-Ingvar Brånemark discovered that titanium naturally
fuses with bone, he wasn’t researching dental implants. He made the discovery
while studying blood flow in rabbits after he implanted a titanium chamber in a
rabbit’s bone and found that the chamber had merged with the rabbit’s bone.
This process became known as osseointegration, and Brånemark soon began using
the concept for dental implants.
George Washington never had wooden teeth. George
Washington was known for his poor dental health. In fact, it’s written that
George Washington only had one remaining tooth by the time he was inaugurated
as president. Washington did have dentures. This much we know. One pair was
noted to be made from Hippopotamus tusk. Historians know this because they
found the actual invoice sheet.
Root Canal myth started in the 1920s. I know
many things I still enjoy that were established in the 1920s, but this myth
isn’t one of them. This myth was created by Dr. Weston Price and has been
disproved many times over. Dr. Price alleged that root canals can cause
illnesses or infection elsewhere in the body. There is currently no scientific
evidence that root canals are harmful to your body. In fact, the root canal
remains the best way to restore an abscessed tooth or to save an infected tooth
from extraction.
Dental cavities soared when cola was introduced to the American
public. Americans love their soda, which was widely distributed
for the first time in the late 1800s. Not surprisingly, when soda was first
introduced, people’s teeth paid the price — and continue to pay the price. I’m
like most dentists who warns patients about the dangers of soft drinks. A study
in 2004 proved that non-cola beverages — Sprite, 7 Up, Sierra Mist — were more
than to cause tooth decay than cola beverages — Coca Cola, Dr. Pepper, or
Pepsi. The reason is that non-cola beverages traditionally have more citric
acid — major cause of enamel erosion — than cola beverages.
Most dentists no longer use novocaine. Dentists
began using novocaine to numb the area that needed to be restored in the early
1900s. Before novocaine, dentists regularly used liquid cocaine, which was
discovered to be highly addicted. The use of novocaine was later reduced
because many patients were allergic to the medicine. Today, dentists more
commonly use lidocaine or a local anesthetic.
Dental floss was used during a jail break. A man
in West Virginia once escaped from jail using a rope he braided out of dental
floss. That’s certainly one way to use dental floss, though we don’t recommend
this — the man was later caught and sentenced to more time in prison. The
preferred use of floss is for your teeth. About 35 percent of your tooth is
below the gumline, and the best way to clean that area is with dental floss.
These are some of my favorite dental facts. I hope they have help you see the
modern age of dentistry a little differently. If you have questions for us or
need to 219-322-9920 or the Valparaiso office at 219-462-1970.
About Us
Creating Smiles, PC, located in St. John and Valparaiso, Indiana, offers everything you need for a healthy smile and a healthier life. Dr. Kapers and his team can take the anxiety and uncertainty out of dental visits with sedation dentistry, and we're the premier provider of dental implants in the region.