Philadelphia dentistry has a history that is full of crazy contraptions and devices that go way back to medieval times. In the middle ages, barbers in Europe used to perform dental procedures as a side benefit for their clients that were getting haircuts. It was a service that was for the wealthy only. There was no anesthetic back then, but if someone went in for a haircut and a tooth extraction because of a hurting tooth, once the tooth was out there was no more pain, which was a great relief.
Dental keys were tools that were used in the 17th and 18th centuries for extracting teeth. They resembled door keys, but they had an end piece that was a claw that went over the tooth and was tightened. In the 19th century, these keys were replaced by forceps, and Novocain was at that point also available as well as cocaine to be used as an anesthetic. In the 17th century a French doctor named Pierre Fauchard designed artificial teeth, dental fillings, and he also found the correlation between sugar and tooth decay.
In 1878 Britain created dentistry as a separate profession and incorporated laws that reserved the title of dentist and dental surgeon for those who were registered and trained. Those who practiced without being registered were prosecuted as illegal dentists, and in 1880 the British Dental Association was formed.
In Baltimore, Maryland, the first dental school in the world opened its doors in 1840. The first dental school that was connected with a university was the Harvard Dental School which began in 1867. By the 20th century, general dentistry had become an accepted profession all its own, and a dentist now had to undergo rigorous education and training and earn a license to practice. The American Dental Association and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry now support this profession in Philadelphia and around the entire country.
Since the dental field has come such a long way, there are many ways of improving your smile and the condition of your teeth thanks to hundreds of years of research and trial and error. From fillings to braces to crowns and porcelain veneers, almost any oral problem can be corrected today, and Philadelphia dentistry continues to lead the world with highly skilled professionals that are ready to work on your smile today.