A tintype photograph taken in the s showing a tooth extraction, right. Despite the advances of dentistry during the 20th Century, soldiers on the front line were subjected to the archaic techniques of previous decades. With limited facilities available to them, troops on both sides of the conflict in the First and Second World Wars had to undergo painful-looking procedures if they had a dental problem.
Unfortunately, with the living conditions they had to endure - particularly in the First World War - oral hygiene was not at its highest. A field dentist operating in The First World War on unidentified soldiers, left. For commanding officers potential epidemics that could take down an army or the crew of a ship, such as cholera, typhus or Yellow Fever, were a far higher priority.
An example of how slow the Armed Forces were for keeping up the medical advances was the Boer War. Despite the Dentistry Act being passed around 30 years before, thousands of soldiers had to be sent back to Britain. At the start of the Second World War, additional dental officers were recruited in considerable numbers. Most were established on the larger bases or ships but all three services used mobile units in caravans to look after their smaller and more remote formations.
Source: British Dental Journal. A man seated while two others attempt tooth extraction during the Spanish-American war, How Britain's dental industry improved in the 20th Century.
Even so, twentieth century dentistry was still so costly that some people opted to have all their teeth pulled out to spare themselves a lifetime of pain.
The foundation of the NHS in made dental care affordable for all and in the first nine months of its establishment, 4,, cavities were filled and queues formed outside surgeries. Fluoride in water and toothpastes in the first half of the twentieth century also made a big difference to the health of our teeth while treatments improved. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Argos AO. Privacy Policy Feedback. Open wide! Back-street horror of Victorian dentistry exposed in grim photos from a time when a toothache would mean a painful trip to the barber In 19th and early 20th Century dentistry was done by barbers and blacksmiths Tooth decay was common but the 'surgeons' would yank teeth out with forceps Tens of thousands of people died from botched treatments and infections By Paddy Dinham For Mailonline Published: GMT, 30 May Updated: GMT, 30 May e-mail shares.
Share or comment on this article: Horror of Victorian dentistry exposed in grim photos e-mail Today, our dentist in Milton removes teeth with extraction forceps and elevators and teeth are thankfully numbed up first with a local anesthetic. The introduction of composite fillings actually came in the s. Thank goodness we have many more reliable sedative options available to choose from today! The 21st century is a great time to be alive… especially for our smiles!
With modern dentistry, we have access to so many advanced techniques and tools that help dental professionals to treat patients successfully and safely. Information for: Future Dentists. Future Dental Hygienists. Nontraditional Applicants. Health Professions Advisors. Home Health Professions Advisors History of dentistry. FB house promo. Sign Up for News Updates. Sign up. Not convinced?
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