Historic Dentists
Do you find it difficult for you or your child to want to come into the dentist office? It turns out that it’s really a fear that is carried over from childhood. If there was a way to replace the bad thoughts with good or interesting thoughts at a young age, the thought of the dentist office being a pretty cool place would carry with us into adulthood. We need to go to the dentist not only for maintaining our mouth, but for the health benefits involved. What is fascinating are the famous names in history that are spoken, but their place in dentistry just has not been promoted to the inquisitive mind as they should be.
- Paul Revere – We know him best as a silversmith who helped defend our country by alerting that the British were coming. Obviously his most notable achievement, but did you know that he advertised dental services and made false teeth for his patients? A fact that the history teacher failed to discuss in class.
- John Henry Holliday or Doc Holliday – We know him best as a Wild West cowboy and one of Wyatt Earp’s good friends that assisted in the fight at the O.K. Corral. But “Doc” is actually a nickname he attained given that he was a trained dentist who created a wildly successful dental practice in Atlanta. He only abandoned his practice when he contracted tuberculosis and moved west hoping a drier climate would help his ailment.
- Thomas Welch – The next time your child drinks a Welch’s grape juice, let them know that it was created by a dentist. Welch was merely making a type of grape juice on the side that could be substituted for wine for consumption at the sacrament in churches. His son Charles was also a dentist and made his father’s grape juice the household product it is today.
Dentistry is an interesting and necessary practice that helps the human body function more productively. Viewing such an important medical profession in a positive and uplifting manner using interesting and historical facts is just another side of the profession that is sometimes overlooked.