Humans have the same dental configuration as apes: 8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars, and 12 molars. However, humans have smaller teeth and smaller chewing muscles than other primates. One of the problems with modern human teeth, however, is that they sometimes hurt, causing excruciating pain at times, and even contributing to death. The cause of this pain is tooth decay.
In his book Human Bones: A Scientific and Pictorial Investigation, J. McNeill Alexander writes:
“Dental caries (tooth decay) is a disease that gives many of us a lot of trouble, and dentists a lot of employment. The trouble starts in bacterial dental plaque, which is a soft, sticky, transparent film that develops on our teeth. It is a mixture of saliva, bacteria and food debris.”
The sugar that we eat is converted into acid by the plaque and this eats into the teeth causing the painful caries. While tooth decay and problems with the teeth has existed for many thousands of years, tooth has been increasing over the past few centuries. J. McNeill Alexander writes:
“Sugar did not become widely available until sugar cane plantations were established in the West Indies in the mid seventeenth century, but caries seem to have increased before that happened. The explanation may be that flour was being ground more finely. Bread made with coarse medieval flour was less likely to stick to the teeth than bread made with the finer, later flour, and abrasive particles in the coarse flour would have helped to scour plaque off the teeth.”
To deal with tooth decay, dentistry was developed to repair teeth, to pull painful teeth, and to provide replacement teeth for both utilitarian and cosmetic reasons. In the ancient civilization of Etruria, in which is in modern Tuscany, dentists by 800 BCE were skilled in extracting decayed teeth and replacing them with dentures carved from ivory or bone.
In Medieval Europe, dentists believed that cavities were caused by “tooth worms” which bored outward. Dentists extracted the painful teeth, and most people were left with gaping holes where the teeth had been. Wealthy people, however, simply purchased good healthy teeth from poor people: the dentist would extract the good tooth and then set it in the mouth of the wealthy person. Wealthy people would also have fillings made with crumpled gold foil stuffed into the cavity.
Throughout most of human history, going to the dentist has involved pain, not only from the infected teeth but also from the manner in which the teeth were pulled. With the discover of nitrous oxide in the nineteenth century, an era of painless dentistry began.
With regard to fillings used in modern dentistry, J. McNeill Alexander writes:
“Amalgam has long been the commonest filling material. An alloy of silver, copper and tin, in powdered form, is mixed with mercury. The resulting paste is forced into the tooth cavity and shaped as required. The mercury gradually dissolves the metal powder, producing a solid amalgam, which becomes durable enough for chewing within a few hours.”
In many history museums there are displays relating to dentistry. A few of these displays are shown below.
East Benton County Historical Society and Museum, Kennewick, Washington
Shown below is a dental office and equipment from the 1920.
Pioneer Village, Cashmere, Washington
Deschutes Historical Museum, Bend, Oregon
Presby House Museum, Goldendale, Washington
World Museum of Mining, Butte, Montana
Wallace Historic Mining Museum, Wallace, Idaho
More Museums 301
This series presents similar exhibits from several museums.
Museums 301: Upright pianos (photo diary)
Museums 301: Women's Sidesaddles (photo diary)
Museums 301: Medicines (photo diary)
Museums 301: Washing machines (photo diary)
Museums 301: Bathrooms (photo diary)
Museums 301: Radios (photo diary)
Museums 301: Quilts (photo diary)
Museums 301: Pump Organs (photo diary)