Our journey through the history of dentistry has come to an end.

After dealing with the discipline's

beginnings by reconstructing the period from the ancient Egyptians to the Renaissance, as well as
centuries of scientific advancement and professional training in dentistry, it is now time to turn our
attention to the twentieth century.

There were two major breakthroughs that occurred in the 20th century that provided a significant boost
to the development of dentistry.

First, in 1903, the ceramic dental crown, also known as the "capsule," was presented by the Canadian
dentist Charles Land. Land, who later also patented the platinum foil matrix for porcelain jacket crowns,
was the inventor of the ceramic dental crown.

Two years later, in 1905, German chemist Alfred Einhorn synthesized "procaine" for the first time and
gave it the commercial name "Novocaine". This is a local anesthetic that is still used to numb the area
around a tooth during dental procedures. Heinrich Braun, a surgeon, was the first to use novocaine in
medicine.
Greene Vardiman Black (1908)

Dr. G. V. Black stood out as a leading figure in academic circles. He is regarded as the "founding father"
of "dental science," having published "Operative Dentistry" in two volumes in 1908. Black, a dentist as
well as an accomplished professor and researcher, was influential in the development of numerous
dental innovations. He invented one of the best dental amalgams available at the time, discovered the
cause of fluorosis, invented a foot-driven dental drill, and made numerous advances in restorative
dentistry. His most important contribution, however, was the development of a system for categorizing
carious lesions into six classes based on the type of tooth affected and the location of the lesion (which
is still used today).

Alfred C. Fones (1913) – The dental hygienists are born

A few years later, in 1913, Dr. Alfred C. Fones established the first school for dental hygienists in
Connecticut with the intention of supporting his program to make preventive dental care available to
school children. This program was initially conceived by Dr. Fones. This was a telling sign of a change in
the awareness of the need to prevent problems and the necessity of taking care of one's teeth before
problems or pain arise. The first class consisted of 27 women who were later hired to clean children's
teeth. The result was a significant decrease in caries among these children, inspiring a dental hygienist
movement. Dr. Fones referred to these women as "dental hygienists," earning him the title of Father of
Dental Hygiene.

In the years that followed, numerous technological advancements significantly increased the number of
dental treatment options available. In point of fact, the first implant was constructed with vitallium
screws in the year 1937. This particular metal alloy is completely biocompatible, as well as being
extremely resistant to both heat and corrosion. It wasn't until the following year, in 1938, that the first
toothbrushes with synthetic bristles were released onto the market, and it wasn't until 1950 that the
first fluoride toothpaste was created.
The second half of the 20th century
Dental chairs were almost completely industrialized by the second half of the nineteenth century. They
replaced artisan production, which had previously seen dentists design and even build their own chairs,
equipment, and furnishings. The industrialization of dental chair production enabled the addition and
improvement of elements such as headrests and footrests. Furthermore, they introduced the ability to
move the seat and backrest, making them increasingly adjustable, until the fundamental date of 1958,
which set the standard for decades to come.

That year, John Naughton of Iowa created what is now known as the original recliner: a break in the
backrest that allowed the dentist to sit and the patient to be in a prone position at the same time. The
dental profession accepted Naughton's recliner as an industry standard due to its more flexible design.
The 1960s saw the consolidation of a procedural change that, in its simplicity, had a huge impact on the
comfort and speed of treatment: it allowed dentists to work in a seated position and with "four" hands,
i.e. in collaboration with the chairside assistant. Finally, it is surprising to consider that the first electric
toothbrush, developed in Switzerland after WWII, was introduced in the United States as early as 1960.

The 1990s and the birth of aesthetic dentistry

The emergence of the dental hygienist as a separate profession served as the first indication of a
paradigm shift toward paying more attention to disease prevention. The introduction of the very first
bleaching product to the market in the United States in the year 1989 marked an even more significant
turning point. Both the patient's oral health and their smile's appearance were taken into greater
consideration during the latter procedure.

As a result of the introduction of veneers, implants, and filling materials developed specifically for this
purpose, dental procedures designed to improve the aesthetics of the mouth became increasingly
popular in the 1990s.
Even today, one of the fastest-growing trends is cosmetic dentistry, which is closely related to the
increasing popularity of stand-alone dental chairs. Cosmetic dental treatments, do not require an entire
dental unit and thus allow a practice to diversify its services with a relatively small investment. As a
result, we can roughly divide the approach to dental care into three historical phases to summarize this
historical overview. Following a period of "retrospective" dental intervention - after the onset of
problems and complaints - there was a period of increasing emphasis on preventive care and control,
and then, in recent years, there has been a focus on the more aesthetic aspects of caring for one's teeth
and mouth.

Cosmetic Dentistry
The decade of the 1990s saw a lot of progress made in the field of cosmetic dentistry. Whitening kits for
the home, veneers, and gum treatments that improve smiles all came into existence. The size and
strength of dental implants continued to improve, and light-cured resins gradually took over as the
method of choice for filling cavities because they were so much more resistant to breakage.

In conclusion, Dentistry has progressed from the darkest and most painful ages to a cushy reclinable
chair with painkillers, from tooth worms and bloodletting to dental keys and dentures. So, before you go
to the dentist, remember to take out your toothbrush (thank goodness we have them), brush with
toothpaste (not ground up concoctions with pepper), and smile. You know you've got pearly whites. It's
now time to show them off.