Historians believe that the earliest evidence of dentistry came from a scientist named Hesy-Re
He was considered the first dentist on record• His entire concern of
scientific practice circled around dental health and treatment
Hesy-Re
This invention was discovered approximately 2650 BC during the reign of Zoser
King Zoser
Dentistry was a main practice in the important kingdoms of Egypt• In particular, Hesy-Re
became the first known dentist in Memphis, Egypt
Dentists had a huge amount of respect given to them• The appearance of teeth meant a
lot to the royal court and most common people were not able to get treatment
Egyptians suffered from different types of dental pain from their diet• Plants that had left over sand
and rocks grinded teeth• Coarse, thick bread wore down
teeth
Egyptians didn’t suggest oral care, but they performed extractions of teeth that caused pain and drained cysts on gums
There were recipes to take care of bad breathe and tooth pain• Ex: "Breath sweetener: Take
frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon, bark and other fragrant plants, boil with honey and shape into pellets“
They realized the importance of keeping teeth healthy mainly from the fact that they recognized teeth were what you needed to eat and properly communicate
Records kept
Pulling teeth and making remedies provided short term relief• Most of the procedures were
limited and widespread to anyone outside of the immediate royal court or main area of practice
The main people it helped were of the royal court• But even then, it saved tooth
aches, bad breathe, and got the ball rolling for improving methods
Taking out a tooth• Cutting into the gum line with a
sharp tool
Cysts• Drain the area with a hollow
reed
Replacement teeth on Pharaohs• Drilling holes into the donor
teeth and implanting/securing them with gold twine in new mouth
Egypt didn’t concentrate on curing ailments, but their discovery did help aid dentists of today• Keeping detailed notes of
remedies/procedures on tablets and papyrus paper
• Mathematical and engineering skills of tools and materials
Discovering the first types of pain killers and mouth numbing agents
Some tombs of the royal court featured separate rooms just for a dentist and his assistants• The entrances were
cursed for anyone who entered, and anyone did was to be punished by being eaten by a crocodile and snake The eye and tusk carvings
represent dentists
http://drmuna.com/egyptian-history-of-dentistry/
http://www.helium.com/items/1187222-dentist-dentistry-ancient-egypt-teeth-tooth-decay-hallitosis-bad-breath
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Edwin_Smith_Papyrus_v2.jpg/300px-Edwin_Smith_Papyrus_v2.jpg
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19424250