When someone wants to compare an experience to the worst thing ever, they say they’d rather go to the dentist. This dread and fear of dentistry is common throughout our culture. However, for the people who are deeply interested in the dental arts and sciences, there is much interesting history to be learned. The story of the very first sedation dentist is a particularly good one.
Dentistry in primitive forms has been carried for thousands of years all over the world. Wherever there are teeth, there are toothaches, cavities and other dental conditions. Of course, it wasn’t until very recently that dentistry was a regulated and formalized practice. It is no longer the barbaric work it used to be but a scientific art.
Sedation dentistry has a very short history compared to the field in general. It all began with an inspired dentist by the name of Doctor William Morton. He practiced dentistry in the mid 1800s in Massachusetts. As anesthesia was unheard of at the time, Morton asked a physician friend of his what would be more powerful and effective specifically in the case of dental pain.
What Morton found was ether. He did personal experiments on himself and his pet dog before he felt ready to try it on a patient.
The very first patient was Eben Frost, a local man to Morton’s Massachusetts home. He had a tooth and sought the dentist for relief. Frost, upon awakening from the ether, confirmed that he hadn’t felt a drop of pain the whole time. Morton’s idea was a success!
The next step in making his idea popular was to demonstrate it in action in front of a live audience of his peers. This second experiment was also a success. Morton acted as anesthesiologist for Doctor John Warren as he surgically removed a tumor from a patient’s neck.
As news of Morton’s invention spread, ether became the preferred anesthesia by doctors, dentists and surgeons everywhere. Remember that this was during a time when nitrous oxide was new and no strongly anesthetics were available. When painful surgeries were needed, alcohol and restraints were used to keep patients from losing their minds from pain.
In modern times, dentists and other doctors use substances other than ether as anesthesia during surgeries and painful procedures. Morton’s discovery was popular for nearly a hundred years, though, and some credit him as the true pioneer of general anesthetics. If you are afraid of dentists and have work that needs to be done, take William Morton’s word of it and find a sedation dentist.
You may also be interested in reading more information about cosmetic dentistry experts.