The Smile Stealers – The Fine and Foul Art of Dentistry

Eloquent and engaging themed articles by medical historian Richard Barnett trace the development of the trade and discipline of the dentist from fairground entertainer and charlatan to highly skilled professional and covers topics as diverse as the very first dentures (produced by the Etruscans in the seventh century BCE), the smile revolution in 18th-century portraiture and the role of dentistry in forensic science. The text is accompanied by gruesome yet captivating medical drawings of techniques and tools alongside pertinent caricatures, paintings and the rarest of books and artefacts from the Wellcome Collection’s unique archive.

Dentistry has never been only about teeth. It has always been cosmetic, concerned with aesthetics as much as function. As Barnett writes, “possession of a functional, pain-free mouth is practical necessity … but it is also central to our sense of self. Pain in the head can seem unbearably close to the core of who we are, and stinking breath or black teeth carry a stigma that is both peculiarly personal and entirely public.” Barnett examines the changing social attitudes towards the purpose and practice of dentistry, chronicling the shift away from heroic extraction towards contemporary preventative and cosmetic dentistry.