How oral health has changed throughout the decades

Oral health has a long and often brutal history, with evidence to suggest that dentistry began almost 6,500 years ago in the form of a tooth that had been filled with beeswax. Dentistry figures in many ancient societies, from the Egyptians creating the first toothpaste made from rock, mint, salt, pepper and dried iris, to the Victorian era, where tooth extractions feature in literature from the time. However, although dentistry is evident from the earliest of our civilisations, oral hygiene has an even rockier past. Many great improvements were only made popular in the 20th century when looking after your teeth began to have greater cosmetic and health implications.

1910s

The first big progression of the century began with Einhorn’s production of Novocaine in 1905. Novocaine, the first modern anaesthetic, summoned a greater focus on patient care and recuperation. Whilst many dentists now use replacements like Lidocaine, Novocaine is still used today and set a precedent for dental improvements during the century. However, although improvements began before 1910, the 1910s were the age in which modern dentistry began to develop. Many inventions and discoveries were happening in quick succession, leading to better healthcare and oral hygiene.

Much of this development came from the focus on dental schools and academia, headed by Alfred Fones. In 1913, he opened the first Dental School of Hygiene in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

This led to a generation of professional dentists with a formal background in dentistry and oral hygiene. In the wider world throughout the 1910s and 1920s, there was a substantial increase in industrial dental hygiene programmes wherein employers would contract dentists to clean their employee's teeth. This led to greater productivity as employees would not be ill with tooth infections and gained an education about the values of oral hygiene.

The early 1900s was also the period in which the term ‘braces’ was coined. Until the 1970s, braces were formed from wire bands that would individually wrap around teeth and then connect by wire. This wire was adapted to apply pressure on to the teeth and straighten them out. Braces were made from a variety of materials such as ivory, wood and even gold, the most coveted for its flexibility. However, although braces were widely used throughout the period, their large and ugly appearance meant that they were only used for extreme cases and deformities rather than for cosmetic purposes.

1920s

Improvements to oral hygiene through the 1920s were few and far between. The 20s were a time of greater interest in cosmetic dentistry and led to increased advertising for dental products. However, many of these were still powdered dentifrices made independently by shops and that were unregulated. These often contained ingredients such as charcoal and calcium carbonate.

However, the development in X-rays was consistent throughout the period, and the Model A Dental X-Ray was made. This machine had two groups of transformers attached to it that could adapt the voltage. However, the safety of these machines was slightly radical by today’s standards, and users had to stand one foot away from the voltage wire.

1930s

X-rays were quickly developed during the inter-war years, partially due to their importance during the First World War. Advancements in dentistry X-rays were common, and the Ritter Model B was developed. This was an advancement on the Model A as it produced shock-proof x-rays that could create an exact radiographic reading. This helped to make oral health more accurate, allowing dental issues to be dealt with quickly.

The 1930s was also an important period for dental hygiene as many new drug and hygiene regulations were introduced, including the USA’s Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act in 1938. This was followed by similar acts in the UK, which sought to control safety and included dentistry, cosmetic treatment, and medical equipment. The goal involved producing a higher standard of dentistry and oral hygiene, as these matters were being put under more scrutiny. This led to increased media coverage, with the Journal of American Dental Association running an article in 1938 that condemned dentifrices. The article suggested that many of these contained hydrochloric acid and could, in fact, endanger the health of your teeth. 

The 1930s was also a time of increased oral hygiene in the home, with the first nylon toothbrush being invented and introduced to homes in 1938. This aided the synthetic production of toothbrushes and made them easily accessible by everyone. Having softer bristles also encouraged people to brush their teeth, a better alternative to pig bristles which had been used for a long time before this.

1940s

Although World War 2 dominated the newspapers of the 1940s, research into oral health still thrived during this time. This had a lot to do with the importance of hygiene of soldiers fighting in the war and the vitalness of a good oral care routine. When soldiers arrived back from the war, where they had been forced to brush their teeth daily, they brought a more educated stance back with them and often encouraged family members to do the same. This led to a resurgence in discussion over oral hygiene as the war made daily brushing routines commonplace.

This led to a number of small changes in how dental cosmetics were consumed. Toothpaste soon overtook tooth powder as the most bought dental product, as people recognised the importance of brushing your teeth to stop decay. Many of these toothpastes were made from penicillin, ammonia or chlorophyll as production companies used popular chemicals to improve the look and health of teeth. 

1950s

With this new understanding of the importance of dental hygiene, there was a boom in both dental and domestic hygiene products in the 1950s.

Domestically, fluoride became the most popular toothpaste ingredient after Frederick S. McKay discovered that in areas where there was more fluoridate drinking water, people’s teeth were cleaner and healthier. In 1950, fluoride toothpaste was invented and was soon being mass produced to shops. This became the first toothpaste to be ADA-accepted. After this, there was a greater interest in toothbrushes and how they can help to prevent cavities. The first electric toothbrush was created in 1954, and 41% of people now use an electric toothbrush.

In terms of dentistry, there were also a wide range of developments in quick succession to match domestic improvements. Buonocore was a large figure in advances during this period. One of his biggest achievements was the creation of the acid-etch technique. This increases the adhesion of acrylic fillings to enamel by adding a weak acid to roughen the surface of the tooth. Buonocore also created the first white fillings in 1955, allowing for greater cosmetic benefits for those with decay. Other achievements of the 1950s include the production of a faster handpiece in 1957. This allowed for a quicker pre-surgery process to get patients ready for their procedure and shaped the speed of modern handpieces, which run at 300,000 rpms.

1960s

In the 1960s, dentistry advancements created many prototypes of the dental care that we have today. Buonocore was still developing ways to make dental procedures easier for both dentists and patients. In this decade, he introduced the first commercial sealant to be used in dental practises after his research into occlusal cavies. Commercial sealant was a large step to stopping the progress of tooth decay and infection. Additionally, the precursor to modern titanium implants, the first successful implant system was developed in 1965, allowing implants to become part of everyday dental procedures with a good success rate.

Owing to these developments and more generalised education about dental hygiene in schools, the Adult Dental Health Survey in 1968 found that there was an increased awareness of dental hygiene. Additionally, fewer people had to have large dental procedures, even though there was still the occasional need for extractions under anaesthetic. It was these developments that led to greater dental health today, with the latest Adult Dental Health Survey finding that 75% of adults clean their teeth twice a day.

1970s

The change that defined this era was the improvement in braces. Although the term ‘braces’ was first coined in 1907, it was only in the 1970s that modern braces were invented. The 1970s saw dental adhesive being used to hold brackets to the patient’s teeth rather than the individual bands that were dominant throughout the rest of the 20th century. This encouraged more people to have braces for cosmetic or less extreme purposes as they were less unsightly. This led to a trend in braces as a part of children’s and adult’s dental care, with over 80% of Americans having braces in their lifetime, accounting to 33% worldwide.

The 70s were also important in the world of fillings. The era saw the invention of miniature implants which could be used to treat gum disease when the patient had a limited jaw bone. The procedure could also be completed much more quickly than with full-size implants. Unlike these, which could take a month to set, miniature implants meant that patients would only have to make one visit to the dentist, reducing the amount of time spent having the procedure. This focus on less intrusive devices was important in the history of dental health as it encouraged more people to go to yearly check-ups.

1980s

The 1980s focused on the cosmetic side of dentistry. With invisible braces starting to be researched and adverts focusing on how aesthetic operations could benefit you, more and more people were taking advantage of the reduced pain and intrusion of good oral health by visiting the dentist for commercial procedures. The most prominent of these was tooth whitening. Although the desire for this began with the Egyptians, who used the ammonia in urine to whiten their teeth, the 1980s made this even easier with the introduction of home whitening kits. These included whitening strips which contained a small amount of peroxide gel. This could then be placed on teeth to whiten them. Tray-based peroxide kits and whitening toothpastes have now become normal.

1990s

The 90s were even more focused on trying to hide the impact of dental surgery. A high amount of procedures were purely aesthetic, becoming the basis for the annual expansion of the dental market, which grew by 46% between 2000 and 2010. The 1990s saw a surge in veneers and orthodontics, including tooth coloured restoratives that blended in with the natural colour of the patient’s teeth. This drove the orthodontics industry to begin developing invisible braces. In 1997, retainers were developed that could straighten teeth without the need for braces. This technology developed in 2000 to use 3D computerised technology that could reproduce a patient’s teeth and adapt according to their needs. Then, they could create a set of retainers that realigned the patient’s teeth in the correct position.

2000s onwards

Modern oral health has become an important institution. Schools educate children about brushing your teeth twice a day and many people see their dentist yearly. Although there has been a decrease in the number of people seeing the dentist regularly, oral health is still of vital importance to most families.

Orthodontic and cosmetic procedures have also become a big part of this market. Now, 4 million people have braces worldwide, for example, which shows the extent of dental hygiene around the world.

These developments throughout the decades have produced the products that we are familiar with today and that are still bought from mail order suppliers.

The products that we have seen created are sold by dental supply companies like Kent Express. Kent Express know the value of balancing their price and service to provide the best oral hygiene equipment for everyone. Their products include the modern successors of the developments discussed above, such as everyday whitening treatments and filling materials. For example, Big White Smile’s whitening treatment can “deliver excellent results with noticeable effects after just a few days.” With their 120 day no quibble guarantee on own brand products, and knowledgeable customer service team, you can be sure that you are getting the best developments in dental care supplies, in a quick and efficient manner.

The oral hygiene that we have seen develop across the 20th century plays a large part in dental hygiene today, and one that we relate to every time we brush our teeth.