Dental surgery (or maxillofacial surgery) has been around for a surprisingly long time. If you think dental surgery is scary now, then be happy you are alive today and not a few thousand years ago. In modern times dental surgery is clean, efficient, and regulated. Although it has been around for a while, that was obviously not the case even a hundred years ago.
Oral Surgery in Ancient Times
China
Basic dental extractions were performed as early as 6000 B.C. in present day China. Around 2700 B.C. the ancient Chinese were using acupuncture to treat pain associated with tooth decay. Silver was also used as a tooth filling by these ancient people. They also studied the mouth in relation to other systematic diseases. The ancient Chinese noted that white spots would appear in the oral cavity before the measles disease developed. There are many texts on tooth extraction and the tools used to perform such procedures.
Egypt
The Edwin Smith Papyrus dates back to before 3000 B.C. It’s an ancient Egyptian medical text that gives instruction on how to treat wounds in the mouth. The earliest records of dental surgery go back to about 2500 and 3000 B.C. They show signs of drilling and pulling teeth. By 1550 B.C., the Egyptians had prescriptions for dental pain and injuries. The world’s oldest toothpaste recipe also comes from Egypt, dating to the 4th century A.D.
Greece and Rome
The Etruscans were a civilization that predated Rome in present-day Italy, they existed from about 900 B.C. to 90 A.D. Etruscans experimented with golden bands wrapped around teeth. The golden bands would be wrapped around damaged teeth, as well as replacement human and animal teeth. Head was used to solder the bands in place, creating a permanent tooth replacement.
The ancient Greeks have records of oral surgery dating to 500-300 B.C. At the time, Aristotle and Hippocrates wrote about tooth extraction and wired jaws.
Misidentifying the Cause
One of the biggest limiting factors of ancient practitioners was what caused oral disease. Across the board, from Greece to China to the Middle East, it was believed that tooth decay was caused by worms. In Mesopotamia and Babylon, they believed that demons or spirits destroyed teeth, often in the form of these worms.
The Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, barbers were dentists. Really. Barbers were responsible for both cutting hair and tooth extractions. In 1210 A.D, a group of barbers in France formed a surgical club. They were separated into the advanced, and basic surgeons. This was the earliest-known oral surgery group. This organization led to rapid advancement over the next several hundred years.
Ambrose Pare, the “father of surgery,” wrote his complete works in 1575. These works included battlefield surgery and a range of other procedures. Among them were tooth extractions, jaw repair, and tooth decay.
1700s-1800s
With the organization of surgeons and barber dentists, information started to become more available. Pierre Fouchard wrote the Surgeon Dentist, the first book on comprehensive dental care. This step represented dental work beginning to become codified, rather than an oral tradition passed down from master to apprentice.
Organization and Development
As organizations of dentists sprouted, more people became more knowledgeable about dentistry. Aided by the Industrial Revolution, people became more urban, and schools teaching science developed. In 1840, the American Association of Dental Surgeons was founded.
With numerous national dental surgeon organizations, and schools teaching evidence-based dentistry, the field blossomed.
20th Century to the Present
The 20th century showed great advances in science, technology, and regulation. Technological and medical advances occurred on a rapidly-improving scale. No longer could unlicensed dentists ply their trade on street corners.
In modern days, technology dominates the field of maxillofacial surgery. From advanced electronic tools like drills, intraoral cameras, teledenistry and 3d printing to modern notions of hygiene, surgery improved.
Dental Surgery Today
Of course nowadays, dental surgery is safer and easier than it ever has been. Our dental office, Josey Lane Dentistry, in Carrollton, Texas, uses advanced technology to the best surgical procedures possible. Not only do we perform cosmetic dentistry like teeth whitening, but we perform preventative dentistry. Preventative dentistry is designed to asses oral health and prevent future systemic diseases and tooth decay. If you are considering dental surgery, feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.
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