The name of Pierre Fauchard…

The name of Pierre Fauchard (1678 -1761) is not widely known to the public, although this French physician is credited as being the "father of modern dentistry”. It was Fauchard who discovered that the position of the teeth could be corrected by fastening them to a metal arch, and thereby introduced dental braces.

Fauchard may also be named the “father of tooth replacement”. He invented different methods of replacement of missing teeth, and was the first one to use aesthetically looking porcelain crowns. This outstanding dentist also made a revolution in dental therapy. As his observations through the microscope showed there was no evidence of worms eating holes in dental enamel, he disproved this popular theory of dental decay and introduced dental fillings made of amalgams as treatment for dental cavities.