by Bernice Silvas
Animal Dentistry Origins
While human dentistry dates back over 4,000 years ago, animal dentistry goes back only about 3,000 years, with over 2,000 of them dedicated to the horse and other livestock. Horses were prized creatures, valued for their ability to travel long distances and carry goods, while farm animals like sheep and pigs needed to be kept in good condition for trade purposes; this meant pulling out problematic teeth, like the first premolar in the horse, since the bit used to control the horse would rub sensitive areas like the corners of the lips, causing immense pain to the animal and make it resist commands.
For animals other than horses, progress only came about mid-late 1900s, due to lack of anesthesia and faulty information. In ancient Greece, rabies was thought to be caused by a ‘worm’ underneath a rabid dog’s tongue and the only cure was to cut it out; this ‘worm’ is just muscle and fat. In the 1800s, veterinarians were told “If they’re [the teeth] dirty, clean ’em; if they’re loose, pull ’em,”, with no explanation on why. In 1846, when ether, the first anesthesia, was used in a surgical demonstration at Harvard Medical School successfully, the gas made its way into veterinary care and ultimately dentistry. This innovation brought others in its wake. For example, Joseph Bodingbauer (Nov 30, 1905 – Feb 25, 1943), an Austrian veterinarian scientist, shifted the focus of Veterinary dentistry from exclusively horses to all domestic animals; Arthur Mellenby (April 8, 1884 – Jan 30, 1955) who wrote extensively on the impact of diet on dogs’ teeth. These advancements have since been growing into the veterinary dentistry we know today.
