Here at Sierra Vista Dental, we think our dentists are pretty great! Here are a few other great dentists throughout history.
The “First” Dentist
Of course, no one can pinpoint the very first dentist in human history, but this honor goes to Egyptian scribe Hesy-Re. Apparently when he wasn’t scribing, he worked with teeth in his spare time. His tomb was created in 2600 B.C. and held the inscription “the greatest of those who deal with teeth.”
The Father Of Modern Dentistry
Pierre Fauchard, a French surgeon, earned the above title because of the publication of his treatise Le Chirurgien Dentiste (The Surgeon Dentist) in 1723. This text described a comprehensive system for running a dental practice.
Floss Them Too
Though a dentist isn’t credited inventing the toothbrush, one is credited for inventing floss. Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist practicing in New Orleans in 1819, began telling his patients to clean between their teeth using a silk thread.
Dental Education
Two dentists, Horace Hayden and Chapin Harris, helped to advance dentistry by founding the world’s first dental school in 1840. Along with founding the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, they also created the first dental degree, the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS).
Dental Reformer
You cannot talk about famous dentists without making mention of Greene Vardiman Black. He was a dental educator and reformer known for making several advances in dentistry. His most notable accomplishment is the publication of the two-volume treatise Operative Dentistry in 1908. It would be considered an essential dental text for over 50 years.