Conclusion

In conclusion, dental care in the colonial period, compared to our modern day dental technology, was underdeveloped. There were different factors that contributed to their lack of dental hygiene, one being their diets. Diet plays a huge role in dental care because eating too much of certain foods can break down a tooth's enamel, leading to painful consequences. Colonists had a diet of salty meats and lots of sugar, both of which were tough on teeth. Another problem at the time was that dentists didn’t really know how to fix their patients' problems, some were on the right track but still not quite there. Many colonists would just end up getting their teeth pulled to decrease the pain and use dentures or other forms of fake teeth. Lastly, a big factor to the teeth problem in early America was the ways in which they cleaned their teeth. Tooth powders were one way, but not everyone had access to these luxuries. Lower classes would usually just scrub their teeth with some sort of rag, which we now know was not helping them at all. With all of these factors, colonists would get diseases that were hard to treat. Mr. Baker, an early dental hygienist, took care of his patients in a similar way we do today. He scraped the teeth, getting rid of all the buildup along the gums as well as filled holes in the teeth with lead or gold. He even performed a few teeth transplants. Another famous character when it comes to colonial dentistry is George Washington. Though not having wooden teeth, he did have fake teeth. His dental problems were horrible, just as many at the time period. Dentistry has come a long way and is still improving everyday, but it is still important to remember where it all started.