Q: Is it true that dentistry started in the 17th century?
A: The earliest known reference to a "dentist" dates to 2600 BC. An inscription on the tomb of an Egyptian scribe named Hesy-Re calls him "the greatest of those who deal with teeth." The field we now know as dentistry has been advancing ever since.
Between 500 and 300 BC, for instance, Hippocrates-he of the Hippocratic oath-and Aristotle wrote about methods for treating decayed teeth, using wires to stabilize loose teeth, and-in a day that long preceded things like Novocaine and nitrous oxide-extracting teeth with forceps. Ouch.
There's evidence that between 166 and 201 AD, the Etruscans made dental prosthetics using gold crowns and fixed bridges. In 1760, a fellow named Isaac Greenwood opened a practice and became the first native-born American dentist. In 1790, Isaac's son John, who was one of George Washington's dentists, adapted his mother's foot-operated spinning wheel to create the first known dental drilling machine.
The practice of dentistry has come a long way.
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