March 6th is National Dentist’s Day and in honor of that, we thought we’d take some time to honor your Woodlands dentists and all dentists around the world. They work so hard day in and day out taking care of teeth and helping people live healthier, more confident lives, and for that, we say “THANK YOU!”
First, we’d like to give a shout out to our very own extremely talented team of doctors. You’re absolutely the best at helping patients, providing high-quality dentistry, and treating people with honest compassion that’s appreciated by all. Without our Woodlands dentists and their expertise, so many families in our area would lose access to the state-of-the-art dental care you won’t find anywhere else.
Please join us in honoring your Woodlands dentist. (If you really love the gentle care they provide, leave them an online review or send a message online!)
Dr. Leslie Blackburn (Pediatric Dentistry)
Growing Great Grins
Dr. Robert Dernick (General, Cosmetic, Implant Dentistry, and TMJ)
Robert G. Dernick, DDS
Dr. David Epstein (General, Cosmetic Dentistry, and Sleep Apnea)
Epstein & Vakil General & Cosmetic Dentistry
Dr. Mike Freeman (General, Cosmetic, Implant, Sleep Apnea, and TMJ)
Dr. Mike Freeman Cosmetic & Family Dentistry
Dr. Alisa Reed (General, Cosmetic, Implant, Laser, Sleep Apnea, and TMJ)
Dental Designs by Alisa Reed
Dr. Wade Williams (Orthodontics)
Orthodontics Wade Williams, DDS, MS
Dr. Nikita Vakil (General, Cosmetic, and Implant Dentistry)
Epstein & Vakil General & Cosmetic Dentistry
Dr. Michelle Boeker (General, Cosmetic, Implant, Laser, Sleep Apnea, and TMJ)
Dental Designs by Alisa Reed
Where Did Dentistry Come From?
How did taking care of smiles become a thing anyway? As it turns out, dental care was talked about as early as 5000 BC, according to the American Dental Association. Allegedly, there was an ancient Sumerian text from this time that describes something called “tooth worms” as a cause of decay. Fast forward a bit to 500-300 BC and you’ll find out that some pretty familiar names were talking about the importance of dentistry. Both Hippocrates and Aristotle wrote about dental care. They shared their thoughts about:
- The pattern in which our teeth erupt from the gums
- Treating teeth that are decaying and breaking
- Finding a way to help patients with gum disease
- Extracting damaged or painful teeth
- Using wires to stabilize teeth that are loose or help fractured jaws
By the time year 1530 rolled around, the first book that was written about all things dentistry, called The Little Medicinal Book for All Kinds of Diseases and Infirmities of the Teeth, hit the shelves. About 200 years later, being a dentist was actually a defined profession with help of a French surgeon named Pierre Fauchard. He’s considered to be the “Father of Modern Dentistry” and wrote a book defining a comprehensive look at how to treat and care for teeth. Fauchard is responsible for dental fillings too!
Fun Facts About Dentistry
There’s a lot we could say about the history of dentistry as it’s pretty extensive, but let’s talk about some fun facts about teeth that might just make you smile.
- Americans buy more than 14 million gallons of toothpaste every year.
- 48% of young adults have untagged themselves from a photo on Facebook because of their smiles.
- The average woman smiles 62 times a day. The average man? Only 8 times.
- Kids laugh roughly 400 times a day. The average adult laughs only 15 times per day.
- In North America, over 3 million miles of dental floss are purchased annually.
- Dinosaurs grew new teeth when one was lost or broken.
We hope you learned a little something about dentistry and that you’ll take the time to thank your Woodlands dentist for all they do for you and your smile. If you have any questions or need to speak with someone about an upcoming appointment, please don’t hesitate to email or call us to get the help you need!