The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1922-02-23

Building the finest machinery
which Is used by dental architects
and engineers in that most intricate
and delicate building done by man
the reconstruction Of human teeth
Is the great. world-famous work Of
the Ritter Dental Manufacturing
Company.
This company has vertically been
a cornerstone in the tremendous ad-
vancement Of dentistry during the
last few decades. pointing the way
to successful practice. strengthening
the ethics Of the profession. offering
continually improvements in equip
ment and methods. blazing new trails
Of education. creating new hopes.
bringing the pubhc to higher and
higher appreciation Of dentis,ry-tn
short. holding forth a beacon light
20 guide the profession to It's best
standards where il may have the love
and respect Of both followers and
benefactors.
Professioa's Dawn Obscure.
To-day. America has the leadership
in dentistry. Its equipment Is the
most superb; its technique Is un-
equalcd. And the story o. the de-
velopment which brought this com
handing position In the dental world
may well be featured with the his
tory % Ritter.
when dentistry was born a puny
infant in the family % cultural arts
will probably never be known. May
haps. Eve had the toothAche as one
Of the penalties Of eating the for
hidden apple and. mayhAps, Adam
whitfield from the ivory Of a nam
moth or teak stick a filing for a
decayed tooth. II might be that the
exercise the cave man gave his teeth
on raw. red meat kept them in
healthy condition and that no ineen-
tive was offered man for initiating
dental art until civilization came
creeping In 10 deteriorate physical
power as IL raised or awakened in
telligenee.
Out Of the potpourri Of carved
heireglyphics, writings on ancient
papyri and other chronicles given up
by tombs. pyramids. buried cities.
crumbling castles and ruins Of old
civilizations has been deciphered
enough to prove that teeth have been
decaying and aching for several
thousand years and that long before
the Christian era a crude. torturing
dentistry was praetieed.
Known To Ancient Man.
Some years ago the world was
startled with the claim that Egyptian
mummies were found whose teeth
contained gold filings. Investigations
proved that these filings were simply
leaf gold placed on the teeth to orna-
ment the deceased for burial.
The first reference to dental oper-
atoms occur in the writings Of Hero
dotus and Hippoerates in the fifth
century. b. c. There are, however.
strong evidences that, at an even
early date. Egyptians and Hindus at
tempted TO replace lost teeth by at
taehing wood or ivory substitutes
10 adjacent sound teeth By means Of
threads .silk.worm gut, ligatures Of
gold and silver or sea grass.
The impetus given to medical
study in the Greeian schools by fol-
lowers Of Aesculapius and. especial
ly. Hippocrates between 500 and
400 b. c. developed among the prac-
titioners Of medicine and surgery
considerable knowledge Of dentistry,
but IL was a dentistry so painful and
inadequate that one shudders as he
thinks Of the sufferings which the
victims il was praetieed on must
have had.
Progressed With World.
One Is wont 20 consider inlaying |
a new dental art yet ruins give up
things which mock at this belief. In
lays Of green jade are found in hu-
man teeth uncovered BY explorers Of
the remnants Of ancient civilization
in copan. Honduras and the Yucca
tan.
The filling Of dental cavities 10 un-
doubtedly an art whose roots spread
far back into antiquity. Il Is be-
lieved that its first forms were the
fitting in Of wooden and ivory parts
cut TO fit the holes. CELSIUS In 100.
b. c.. advised filing hollow and frail
teeth with lead before extraction so
that they would not break under the
foreeps. He also recommended the
fling OF Of sharp edges caused by
decay so that the tongue would not
be injured BY them.