Family Dentistry: Dental Tools

Monday 5 November 2012

Dental Tools

The first dental drill was a foot driven instrument invented by John Greenwood in 1790. Far from the high tech dental drills of today, the first dental drill John Greenwood made was really just a modified version of his mother's foot treadle spinning wheel. While, a bit unwieldy, it did the trick. In 1957, a dentist named John Borden invented the high speed contra angle hand piece with 30,000 rotations per minute, a monumental step forward in dental drilling and polishing

Read more: History of Dental Instruments | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_4657236_history-dental-instruments.html#ixzz2ANGSMjgaIn 1790, a prominent American dentist named Josiah Flagg invented the first dentist chair, complete with headrest and tray for keeping track of implements. In 1832, inventor James Snell improved on Greenwood's invention by making the chair recline, making it easier for a dentist to see in his victim's (or patient's) mouth. In 1877, the chair once again made dental headlines when the Wilkerson chair replaced the Snell chair as the predominant chair type used by dentists.