White-Knuckle Adventures in Early Dentistry

(via Collectors Weekly) With all those gleaming, stainless-steel tools readied for painful prodding, few people look forward to visiting the dentist. But modern dentistry is a walk in the park compared with archaic methods of treating oral maladies: Be glad you’re not seeking treatment for mysterious “tooth worms” or using dentures filled with the syphilitic teeth of dead soldiers.

Collector’s Weekly has more on the history of modern dentistry.  You may want to brush and floss before clicking over.