Receding Gums Awareness Month – January 2025

History of Receding Gums Awareness Month

Dentistry is a branch of medicine that deals with the “study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the teeth and mouth.” The history of dentistry began with the establishment of human settlements. Though tooth decay was not as common in pre-agrarian societies, it still existed and was presumably treated. The oldest known evidence of dentistry was an infected tooth that had been partially cleaned with flint tools from about 14,000 years ago. Recent research suggests that Neanderthals possibly used basic dentistry tools about 130,000 years ago.

Evidence of dentistry has also been found in the Indus valley around 7000 B.C. Early beliefs surrounding cavities held that they were a result of a ‘tooth worm.’ Dental procedures have been described across history — from Ancient Egyptian treatments of toothache to Greco-Roman dental prosthetics. The first-ever record of a dentist was the Ancient Egyptian Hesy-Ra. The earliest dental amalgam was first documented in Tang dynasty-ruled China, in a medical text written by physician Su Kung in 659. Dental extractions were often performed by professionals like doctors and barbers instead of dentists during the Middle Ages.

Modern dentistry first began developing between 1650 and 1800. French surgeon Pierre Fauchard came to be known as the father of modern dentistry. He was a highly skilled surgeon who made improvisations of dental instruments inspired by the tools used by watchmakers, jewelers, and barbers. He introduced the concept of dental fillings as a treatment for cavities, and was the first to assert that sugar-derived acids were responsible for tooth decay.