A Look Back at Dentistry in Ancient Rome - American Dental (2024)

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A Look Back at Dentistry in Ancient Rome - American Dental? ›

During Ancient Roman times, doctors performed tooth extractions. Dentures were made using boxwood, bone, or ivory. Extractions relied on crude forceps. Based on the Twelve Tables of Roman legislation, we also know that gold was used on teeth during the time.

Roman Dentistry

Roman dentists used scary clamps and drills to remove teeth's; opium was their pain medication for dentistry. Also, the Romans were well aware of oral hygiene and had healthy teeth's due to their diet. Roman dentists replaced missing teeth's and extracted teeth's only when it could not be treated.

Roman dentists were able to insert gold fillings into decayed teeth and may even have been able to replace missing teeth with primitive forms of dental prosthetics. They removed any gold fillings and teeth from the mouths of corpses before burial, however.

In early colonial America, dental care was also rendered by artisans such as ivory turners. One such artisan was Isaac Greenwood, who began practicing dentistry in 1779 and is considered to be the first American-born dentist. Four of his six sons became dentists.

Toothbrushes as we know them today did not exist, and toothpaste was a distant concept. Instead, people relied on rudimentary methods to maintain oral health. One common method involved using sticks or twigs with frayed ends, known as “chew sticks” or “miswak,” to scrape off food particles and dental plaque.

Ancient Romans used precursors to today's brushing and flossing to care for their teeth. Specifically, they used frayed sticks as toothbrushes and abrasive powders as toothpaste. Some ingredients used in the powders included ashes, seashells, eggshells, pumice, and hooves.

Aesculapius, the Roman equivalent of Greek god of medicine and healing Asclepius, was believed to advocate cleansing the mouth and teeth. Greek Philosopher Aristotle, student of Plato, discussed teeth in some of his writings.

Romans brushed their teeth daily. Sound familiar? The tools were a little different, though – they used frayed sticks and rough pastes made of ground eggshells, hooves, seashells, pumice, and ash. They also had another familiar daily dental habit: using mouthwash.

At first a sharp surgical instrument was used to separate the tooth from the soft gum tissue. Then, the tooth was grabbed with the forceps and were used in rocking movements. When the tooth was loose enough, they pulled it out using their fingers.

Salt and charcoal were often rubbed across the teeth and then rinsed away. However, the most common way of taking care of teeth involved taking a birch twig and fraying the end, making a primitive brush. Dental powders were also used. They were made from strange concoctions of burned eggshells ashes and animal hooves.

What is the oldest dental work? ›

The earliest known example of dental caries manipulation is found in a Paleolithic man, dated between 14,160 and 13,820 BP. The earliest known use of a filling after removal of decayed or infected pulp is found in a Paleolithic who lived near modern-day Tuscany, Italy, from 13,000 to 12,740 BP.

Before the late eighteenth century the term 'dentist' wasn't even used. Instead, care of the teeth was the responsibility of a range of different – and sometimes surprising – practitioners. Until the mid-eighteenth century, perhaps the main providers of dental services were barber-surgeons.

Dentistry is one of the oldest medical professions, dating back to 7000 B.C. with the Indus Valley Civilization. However, it wasn't until 5000 B.C. that descriptions related to dentistry and tooth decay were available.

Human and animal teeth were used as artificial teeth and held in place by gold bands. Performed around 700 B.C this is the first time in history a form of prosthetics was ever used in the mouth, and would be the only use for many years.

Findings from ancient tartar analyses indicate that even cavemen cleaned the spaces between their teeth with plant fibres. However, dental care was not a priority for our earliest ancestors. As the diet during the Stone Age contained hardly any sugar, tooth decay was rare.

In the United States, although toothbrushes were available at the end of the 19th century, the practice did not become widespread until after the Second World War, when US soldiers continued the tooth brushing that had been required during their military service.

Romans brushed their teeth daily. Sound familiar? The tools were a little different, though – they used frayed sticks and rough pastes made of ground eggshells, hooves, seashells, pumice, and ash. They also had another familiar daily dental habit: using mouthwash.

The first fillings

From 166–201 AD the Etruscans/Romans were the most advanced dentists of the ancient world; they used gold to fill teeth and even made artificial crowns. Early records of fillings are also found in Chinese, Egyptian and Greek culture.

Ancient Romans had a unique and meticulous approach to oral hygiene, with toothpaste recipes featuring unconventional ingredients. A key component was powdered charcoal, derived from burned substances such as animal bones and oyster shells, providing the necessary abrasiveness for teeth cleaning.

- Pliny the Elder discussed various therapies for tooth pain in his work. - Remedies included pouring medication into the ear, inhaling wild mint, and using hare bones to incise the gums. - Gargling the ash of deer horns was another treatment method. - Roman doctors believed toothaches were caused by a toothworm.