Modern dentistry originated between 1650 and 1800. The French doctor Pierre Fauchard has been called the father of modern dentistry, as he was a skilled surgeon who managed – despite the limited primitive surgical tools in the late 17th and early 18th centuries – to significantly develop dental tools, by modifying the tools of watchmakers, jewelers and even barbers that were believed to be useful in dentist. Insert dental fillings as a treatment for dental pits. He also confirmed that acids derived from sugars such as tartaric acid are responsible for dental caries and indicated that tumors surrounding the teeth and gums may appear in late stages of dental caries.
Panorama of a historic dental implant
Fauchard was the pioneer of prosthodontics, and he devised many methods to replace missing teeth. He said that replacement teeth could be made from blocks of ivory or bone. Fauchard introduced the dental brackets – and although they were of gold – he discovered that the position of the teeth could be corrected, given that the teeth follow the shape of the wires. Fasten the brackets using waxed linen or silk threads. Fauchard’s contributions to dental sciences lie in his book published in 1728 entitled The Dental Surgeon. The French text included oral anatomy, its functions, dental structures, and different techniques for treatment and dental surgery. In this book, he practically separated dentistry and surgery in its general sense.
The study of dentistry expanded rapidly after Fauchard. A British surgeon, John Hunter, wrote two important books: The Natural History of Human Teeth (1771) and (A Practical Study of Oral Diseases, 1778). And he began to look at the possibility of transferring teeth from one person to another, and said that the chances of success of the tooth transfer process increase when the tooth is transferred as quickly as possible and is compatible in size with the recipient person. These principles are still used in internal organ transfers. Hunter has already performed several groundbreaking procedures in which he attempted to transfer teeth from one person to another. Although the donated teeth did not adhere well to the recipient’s gums, one of Hunter’s patients said that 3 of the teeth that Hunter transferred to him lasted for 6 years, which is considered a significant achievement in that period.
The tremendous progress in dentistry was in the nineteenth century when dentistry turned from a trade into a profession. The dental profession was subject to government regulatory laws at the end of the nineteenth century, so a dental decree was passed in Britain, for example, in 1878, and the British Dental Association was founded in 1879. In the same year, Francis Brodie Emlash was elected to the presidency of the Royal College of Surgeons, and thus he was the first dentist ever to reach this goal. The position is thus bringing dentistry on a par with clinical surgery.
