Dentistry is a wonderful thing, and over the last few hundred years, dentistry, and the way that dentists operate, has completely changed. There are a number of famous dentists worthy of taking note of, including these dentists.
John Henry "Doc" Holliday
If the name sounds familiar, it's likely because you've heard of his name in association with Wyatt Earp. Doc Holliday was a dentist, gunfighter, and gambler who began studying dentistry when he was 19 years old. He is famous not for his great dental expertise, but for being connected to Wyatt Earp.
Norman W. Kingsley
Dr. Kingsley was a dentist in the late 1800s who is considered by most to be the father of orthodontics.
Edward Angle
Dr. Edward Angle is a famous
dentist known for creating a number of different types of devices that were designed to help fix problems in the mouth, and many of the things that he invented are still used today.
Sir James Crichton-Browne
Sir Crichton-Brown was a psychiatrist in England. He was very passionate about making sure pregnant women and children received fluorine years before modern research was able to confirm that fluorine was beneficial in preventing cavities.
Thomas Curtis
One of the first known African-American dentists in Alabama, Dr. Curtis was known for being the model of what an excellent dentist should be. He was an especially compassionate famous dentist known for his diligence in making sure that dental care was available for everyone.
Pierre Fauchard
This influential French physician is credited as being the father of modern dentistry. In 1728, he wrote "The Surgeon Dentist" in which he describes the anatomy of the mouth and the function of all its parts. He helped create ways to remove decay and to fix teeth, and he was a famous dentist for being so far ahead of his time. In the history of dentistry, his book is regarded as the first complete scientific description of dentistry.
Harvey Burkhart
Dr. Burkhart served as the first president of the American Dental Association and was known for pioneering many preventative procedures for dental patients around the world.
There are a number of famous dentists who have successfully furthered the cause of dentistry, and each of them brought something special to their chosen profession.