Although oral health is essential for overall health and well-being, people tend to think of dentistry as separate from medicine. Dentists are doctors providing important healthcare services, even if they do not hold the degree of medical doctor or doctor of osteopathy. At a Dental Office in Kona, patients receive preventive care and necessary treatments for their teeth and gums.
A Brief History
Understanding the history of American dentistry sheds light on why the profession remains separate from general medicine. Although dentistry was being performed in ancient times, it was not truly considered a profession until the mid-1800s. Until that time, dentistry was considered a trade. Dentists drilled holes in teeth to remove decay and filled the holes with metal. They pulled teeth that could not be saved. They also provided artificial teeth in the form of early dentures.
Professional Credentials
A more straightforward scientific route was established in 1840 with the creation of the doctor of dental surgery degree, the same credential that many dentists acquire today. For instance, a practitioner like Carter S. Yokoyama D.D.S. includes the letters after his name, so patients immediately know what his specific degree is. Click Here for details on this particular dental practitioner.
Some colleges call this degree doctor of dental medicine, or D.D.M. The two credentials are the same. The modern practice of dentistry might be viewed as beginning with this method of more thorough training and study of science related to oral health. Harvard opened the first university-associated dental school in 1867.
Brushing and Flossing
Consumers weren’t able to buy commercial toothpaste produced on a large scale until a few years after that. Colgate was the first to offer it. Commercial toothbrushes were available from this company not long afterward. However, the habit of regular brushing with toothpaste remained relatively uncommon for several decades afterward.
People probably always used devices like toothpicks to remove particles of food from between teeth. However, their motivation probably was to end the discomfort of having something stuck between the teeth rather than an effort for oral hygiene. Now, practitioners with a Dental Office in Kona strongly encourage patients to brush and floss every day.
