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Dentistry did not start out as an advanced field of medicine. In fact, before the sophisticated techniques that modern dentistry has to offer were developed, physicians sought to discover the mysteries that surrounded teeth ailments. Obviously, this was a rather painful journey. Teeth ailments that began to be explained early on were tooth aches. The worm was said to be the cause of toothaches in one of these explanations. Tooth decay was also attributed to this worm. This myth has been found inscribed in a tablet in Nineveh known as the legend of the worm. The dentists of the time who were also general physicians tried to give treatments for this problem. History supposes that the earliest dentist existed in Egypt at around 3000 BC. This dentist is believed to have been called Hesi-Re and inscriptions found have credited him with being the greatest of those who dealt with teeth. Egyptian dentists are believed to have made the greatest strides in the treatment of dental ailments. Simple false teeth were developed by 1500 BC by using a small gold wire to fix teeth together around the gum line. Another revealing historical record on dentistry is found in the Code of Hammurabi. Physicians at the time doubled up as dentists and the practiced under the strict supervision of the central government. Incompetent physicians were infact penalized sometimes by the removal of their hand. The use of a chewstick is another dental practice that was done in historical times. This practice is thought to have originated from the Chinese and Babylonians and borrowed by the Romans who were the first to use it. A chewstick was made of a fibrous wood stick about six inches long and smaller than the diameter of a pencil. The fibres of one end of the chewstick are separated by chewing and then used to clean one tooth at a time. In some Islamic and African communities, the chewstick is still the toothbrush of choice. The Romans steadily made strides in the advancement of dentistry as dentists began using gold crowns on teeth. Aristotle from Greece also advanced dentistry by studying the comparative anatomy of the teeth as well as suggesting tooth extraction using forceps. Different treatment for tooth decay came up all the time and one of these involved drilling into a tooth and applying an ointment made of roasted earthworm and a medicinal plant known as spikenard, on the inside of the tooth. The Middle Ages saw perhaps the greatest level of experimentation as far as dentistry was concerned. The recognized dentists of that time happened to be monks and barbers. Dentistry continued to be characterized by barbaric practices until these were challenged by Pierre Fauchard in his book, ‘The Surgeon Dentist’. This hailed the beginning of modern dentistry. In fact Pierre Fauchard is often referred to as the father of modern dentistry.
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