Chicago Dentist - Pierre Fauchard: The Founder of Modern Dentistry

Pierre Fauchard: The Founder of Modern Dentistry

The founder of modern dentistry was Pierre Fauchard (1678-1761). He was a French physician who practiced in Paris and began his training with a surgeon in the royal navy. He contributed a two-volume, 848 page book which was published in 1728. The book was on dental information and was known as The Surgeon Dentist: A Treatise on Teeth. His book, proved to be an authoritative guide for more than one-hundred years. It describes the basis function and anatomy of the mouth, signs and symptoms of oral disease or pathology, operative methods for removing decay and restoring teeth, orthodontics, replacement of missing teeth and even transplantation of teeth. Fauchard summarized the then existing information on dental anatomy, treatment of diseases, extraction and replacement of teeth, construction of dentures and irregularities of teeth. He also devoted an entire chapter on orthodontics, the science of straightening teeth, which was the first major treatise on the subject.

Fauchard shared his information with colleagues which helped transform skilled artisans into medical practitioners. Fauchard’s writings let other to publish topics on the study of teeth. With this new interest in the practice of dentistry, it developed into a separate profession apart from the medical profession. Thus, the foundation was laid for the practice of dentistry that we know today.