††††Dentistry is the care and treatment of the teeth and gums. The earliest record of a dentist or 'toothist' is a picture on a wood panel from an Egyptian tomb dated 3000 BC. Until the 19th century, the removal of decayed teeth was often carried out at fairgrounds. The dental drill was invented in America in 1872. It was based on a sewing machine and powered by a treadle worked by the dentist's foot.
Modern dentists have to train for at least six years before they can start work.
The most recent drills, powered by compressed air or water, revolve at up to half a million times a minute. But most of the dentist's time is now taken up with preventing the teeth and gums becoming diseased in the first place.
