The History of Dentures – How it All Began
Dental problems have been around since man had teeth. So have toothaches, which everyone who has ever had them knows are among the worst of all.1
As early as 14,000 years ago, people tried to remove caries from teeth and plug the holes. Teeth that have fallen out or been extracted have been tried to be adequately replaced with various kind of materials over this period until today in order to put a smile back on the patient’s face, to restore phonetics or generally to restore the function of chewing.1,2,3
Long before we started talking about fixation dentures or zirconia ceramic crowns, the ancient Etruscans (8th-1st century BC) developed a true mastery in replacing missing teeth. Dentures were found in their tombs, which were not only intended for aesthetic restoration of incomplete dental ridges, but were also used for chewing. Materials used in this type of prosthetics were of human or animal origin. Broad gold threads or bands were used to connect one or more teeth and were anchored to the prosthesis like a bridge. Then, as now, the patients own teeth provided the necessary support.2,3
The handcraft of the ancient dental technicians was well thought out. The gold bands sat so high on the teeth that they did not irritate the gums or cause pressure points. Unfortunately, with the decline of the Etruscan civilization, knowledge of the first tooth replacement was lost. It was not until the 19th century that comparable technical results were achieved again2,3… read more
Figure 1: Dentures of the Phoenicians and Etruscans 800 to 100 B.C
Figure 2: Waterlooteeth: The teeth of fallen soldiers on the battlefields of the American Civil War were pulled out and shipped to Europe by the hundredweight.
Figure 3: Waterlooprotstheik arround 1815 Ivory base with real human front
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