I went to my local dentist in Lansing, Michigan a few weeks ago and it dawned on me how happy I am to receive dental care now as opposed to any time in the past. Can you imagine tooth extraction in the 1800s? No thank you. Dentistry has seen a significant morphing from a basic skills profession to a specialized medical field. It has seen great strides from the 1700s when it was first seen as a standalone profession. Before this, one could very well be a barber, a minor surgeon, an embalmer as well as provide tooth extracting services. A rudimentary tool for tooth extraction called the turnkey was invented in the 1800s. This era included the use of tin, gold foil, lead and silver for filling while ivory and cattle teeth were used for dentures. These are some of the changes.
