Medieval vs. Modern Dental Practices For my research topic, I chose to take a deeper look into medieval dental practices. During my research I found many interesting facts about the ways people maintained good dental hygiene in the dark ages, who was responsible for dental care before the dentist became a profession, and common procedures before modern technology changed the way we diagnose and treat patients. While today we have an endless array of options to help maintain oral hygiene and prevent tooth decay, those living in the dark ages had to get creative for fresh breath and clean teeth. Instead of using fluoride toothpaste, people used coarse linen, covered in pastes and powders. These usually consisted of fragrant herbs, rock …show more content…
Their diet usually consisted of fruits, vegetables, coarse breads, and milk. The average person didn’t have access to sugar due to it’s high cost, so they would use honey and sweeteners derived from fruits instead. This was not the only factor contributing to a population less prone to tooth decay. The coarse breads people consumed decreased the chances of accumulating cavities, because it wore down the grooves that can make your teeth more prone to …show more content…
These were made of ivory, and human teeth held in place with metal strings. These were retained in the mouth by wires and coils that would spring open, forcing them in place. As you can imagine, this was not very ideal for chewing food and were not custom fit to the patient’s mouth, so it is thought that people would take them out and cut their food into small pieces instead. Unfortunately, even though dentures were a hot commodity, they were very prone to decay and would often rot after a short time of use. Wealthy women would often carry fans in public to help hide the smell of rotting
Please describe a time when you performed a thorough head, neck and oral exam and the findings had a significant impact on how you proceeded with the dental hygiene process of care.
It is an assumption by many that Canada has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. But do they really? There are numerous health services in Canada which should be part of the universal care nonetheless are not. These include but are not limited to: dental care, vision care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and prescription drug coverage. This report will solely focus on why basic dental care should be a part of the Canadian universal healthcare. Dental care is predominantly delivered in the private sector on a fee-for-service basis, with approximately 62.6% of Canadians paying for care through employment-based insurance and 31.9% through out-of-pocket expenditures and only a small amount of the Canadians, 5.5%, are qualified for public funding through government assistance programmes (Ramraj and Quinonez, 2012). It was seen that by 2009, dental coverage affordability became a problem not just for the low income families but also impacted middle-income earners as a result of their lack of, or decreased access to comprehensive dental insurance (Ramraj, 2013). It is stated by the World Health Organization that universal health care coverage should reassure access to necessary care and protect patients from financial hardship, and that the governments are obligated to
The article Poor Teeth was written by Sarah Smarsh with the goal in mind being to shed light on the issue between upper and lower class society in a particularly concrete way. Teeth and dental health are an easy thing for people to imagine in their head because everyone has a set whether they’re white and shiny or black and rotted. This makes it easy to draw a comparison between people that care for their teeth and those who don’t. However, access to dental knowledge and services which the lower class often times doesn’t have is very different between the poor and the rich. While the rich stroll through life showing off their perfect glossy white rows of teeth, there are less privileged people out there with barren mouths whose weak pale gums
Professionalism in the dental profession refers to our responsibilities and obligations that exists throughout our entire dental career. “Professional competence is the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and community being served (Kirk, 2007).” A health professional must be able to regulate their own behavior and comply with a code of ethics in professional practice. Fundamental principles of professionalism include primacy of patient welfare, social justice and patient autonomy (Kirk, 2007).
The variety of dental instruments that have been invented since the beginning of basic dentistry till modern times is enormous. Dentistry has been around since the Ancient Egyptians, the firsts known dentist was Hesy-Re, who has inscribed on one of his tomb walls “the greatest of those who deal with teeth”. Onward from Hesy-Re, the focus on dental health became a concern, however, it was not till about the end of the 1700’s that dentistry was regarded as true profession. Dentistry during the American Civil War was not the initial interest of the time, the focus was of course on the injured men who would come off the battle field. When one thinks of Civil War medicine they may tend to think of amputations and treating bullet wounds. However,
Not everyone aspires to have two different careers in life, and some even find it hard to figure out just one to begin with. Orthodontics and Dentistry are two different but similar jobs down the same career path. They both require an insane amount of time, dedication, and schooling. When it comes to job description, work environment, and salary, both can be compared and contrasted.
Dentistry as a profession over the years has evolved rapidly in light of new scientific evidence. Rapidly evolving science and technology have implemented changes within dentistry as evidenced by new standards and guidelines being produced by nationally recognised associations including National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) in Scotland, in provision of new scientific evidence. The latest standards and guidelines produced, endorse everyday clinical practice through evidence based dentistry (REF). All dental professionals as part of continued professional development are expected to keep to date on relevant guidelines and knowledge related to their practice (REF). This is supported by the General Dental Council who state all clinicians must maintain their professional knowledge and competence throughout their working career (REF).
Alchin, Linda. "Middle Ages Hygiene." Middle Ages Hygiene. 16 July 2012. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.
Jones, D. J., Munro, C. L., & Grap, M. J. (2011). Natural history of dental plaque accumulation
I can remember being a little boy sitting at the piano in church, listening to the preacher talk of how Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, which symbolizes the idea that we are here to serve. That message profoundly resonated with me throughout life. It was not until I began accompanying my grandmother to her multiple dental visits that I was able to see how I could put this calling of service into action. I saw firsthand the significant positive impact my grandmother’s dentist was able to make in her life, which encouraged me to want to learn about the field of dentistry. I then started researching dental health and learning of the importance of oral healthcare and how it affects the entire body. I then began to learn of how patient access to proper dental care was limited because of several factors such as, financial barriers, transportation, and dental fear, especially in the underserved minority communities. Given the shortage of black dentists, I realized I could make a positive difference by being an inspiration to those in the community, as well as serve in a professional career that would provide needed healthcare to the community. This is when I began to develop such a strong passion for
This said, superstition was still there in cultures but as a more positive variation instead of an idea that was dark and held malicious intent. The people of that time had more hope rather than fear. This is also when the first variation of a type of Tooth Fairy was made. To start, in most Latin countries, they believe in a rat named Ratoncito Perez who comes in at night and takes the fallen baby tooth and leaves a small gift for the children when they wake up (123Dentist). The story behind Ratoncito Perez is that since they are mice, the eat nuts from a local shop, but all the elder mice can’t chew because their teeth are too weak and old, practically falling out. Ratoncito then goes out every night and collects teeth small enough to replace the elder mice’s teeth; Ratoncito collects baby teeth. In return for taking the tooth, he leaves a small gift. This is also where we see the first type of exchange for a tooth. So as you can see, the tradition of the tooth has travelled from Northern Europe to Spain and other Latin countries. The Tooth Fairy Myth is very famous and that is why so many countries hold onto these traditions and and stories. For example, there is even a small museum that is completely dedicated to Ratoncito. Ratoncito is considered strongly “worshipped” (123Dentist).
Hygienist are the dentists who educate their patients on the importance of oral health care. Hygienist examine any chipped tooth,damage filling,discolored or swollen gums, and also take x-rays, and help prevent tooth decay. Today, dental care focuses on prevention. Preventing tooth decay and related problems is the main job of a dental hygienist. As generations pass, not many people are fully aware of the downside of not properly taking care of their pearly whites. This topic was brought to my attention by noticing the lack of dental hygiene among my peers. This doesn’t necessarily just mean having only cavities, sore gums, but also bad breath.
As I started my new journey of becoming a dental hygienist, I came into the program with no background of dental. I came into this program with an open mind and willing to embrace new concepts as well as develop new skills. During my time at the Canadian Academy of Dental Hygiene (CADH), I learned that as a dental hygienist that I am committed to promoting and helping each individual achieve their optimal oral health goals. In support of my client’s goals, I may assume any or all of the roles included in the dental hygiene scope of practice. My goal throughout this program was to help my clients achieve their optimal oral health goals through education, health promotion and providing preventive and clinical therapy.
I decided to do my research report on dentistry because it is a perfect blend of science and art. It is a science in that you must fully comprehend on the different types of diagnostic and procedures you are doing. It is an art in that you are constantly working with your hands to create a beautiful smile. The impact you make on helping a person achieve an impeccable smile is not one to compare with materialistic things like money or cars. People often mistake dentist as only doing practices when in fact they could do more, like research. I was fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to interview Dr. Sarah Pham, DDS, a close family friend who practices dentistry in her own private office in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Pham was
Introduction: In Canada, general dental health is not part Canada’s national system of health insurance (Medicare) (1) except for some dental surgical procedures that are performed at hospitals. Since Oral health does not come under the Health Act about ninety-five percent of the oral health care services are offered on a fee-for-service basis. Oral health care is under provincial or territorial jurisdiction like other health care services and publically financed dental care programs provide the remaining five percent of oral health care services (2). Thus, majority of Canadians receive oral health via privately owned dental clinics. Privately owned dental care gives these services providers control over dental service charges, types of available treatment for the patients and number of follow-up appointment for treatments or routine care. Service users pay for the dental expenses from their own pockets or utilize insurance coverage (1).