When it comes to dentistry, be glad you live in the 21st century
Posted By RichC on October 17, 2018
There was a time we winced at dentistry pre-20th century (some still do today), but imagine going to an Egyptian dentist back in 2000BC or there about? Yikes!
"Egyptians were very comfortable with and knowledgeable about the human body. Mummifying bodies required them to drain the blood and extract the organs leading to a basic understanding of the human anatomy. 
Doctors wrote up manuals on how to perform surgical procedures, cure bites and stings, and mend bones. It is in one of these manuals that the first evidence of dentistry is found; as old as when some of the first pyramids were built. The Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus, written sometime before 3000 B.C. gives instructions on how to heal and treat wounds in the mouth. Although there were detailed instructions about curing mouth problems, the evidence and writings within this time lead people to believe that the actual teeth were still considered untreatable. Minor dental work was performed, and slowly over time this would grow to be more complex procedures. The earliest signs of dental surgery were between 3000 and 2500 B.C. and usually involved drilling out cavities or pulling teeth. It might be hard to imagine having your teeth drilled into without the comfort of shots and happy gas, but Egyptians by 1550 B.C had prescriptions for dental pain and injuries. Through all these years, there has never been any evidence in mummies or writings that mechanical or false teeth were ever used. It has stumped researches as they struggle to believe that such intelligent and lavish people didn’t have artificial teeth in place of missing front teeth."
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