COSMETIC DENTISTRY METHODS OF YESTERYEAR

Most people think that Cosmetic Dentistry is something new, but actually, your Dentist in Westlake will tell you that Cosmetic Dentistry has been around for thousands of years with the ancient Egyptians, Mayans and Greeks, to name just a few, doing some pretty spectacular work without the use of modern technology. These days when you see your Westlake Dentist you can have your teeth straightened, whitened and fixed without having to resort to some of the techniques used centuries ago, which by today’s standards, would be considered barbaric.

Archaeologists have traced teeth whitening back as far as 3,000 BC, and although the toothbrush hadn’t been invented yet, ancient civilizations used something called a chew stick. Chew sticks were made up of small twigs tied together that were used to remove food particles from their teeth.

4,000 years ago, it was the ancient Egyptians that started whitening their teeth using a paste mixed with wine vinegar ground down with a stone made from pumice. Today people whiten their teeth for purely aesthetic reasons, but back then, white teeth were a symbol of wealth, status, and beauty.

As hard as it may be to believe, the ancient Romans whitened their teeth with their own urine because it contains ammonia, which is a natural bleaching agent.

These days you walk into a barbershop for a shave and a haircut, but back in the 1600’s, the local barber also took care of teeth. These early barbers/dentists would file down a patients tooth before applying an acid to whiten teeth. The acid proved to be very effective, but it also ended up causing tooth decay because of enamel erosion. 

Heavy bleaching trays filled with peroxide bleach became popular in the mid to late 1980’s. This form of bleaching was discovered quite by accident, as Dentists would use peroxide as a type of oral gel for gum disease. Unfortunately, the gel did not stay put on the gums so Dentists in Westlake invented trays to hold the peroxide. It did not take long for dentists to realize that the teeth trays filled with peroxide also whitened teeth. This created a huge mass market with tooth whitening products becoming available in the dentist’s office and the local drugstore.

Thanks to modern Dentistry in Westlake, you can have your teeth whitened, straightened, replaced, or filled without having to resort to ancient methods.

December 11, 2013 | Uncategorized Back to Blog