This turn-of-the-century dental office exhibit at the Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago features the dramatic changes into modern, sanitary dental practices.
The informatiive text n the window says:
With the widespread acceptance of sterilization at the turn of the century, dental offices changed in appearance. Linoleum replaced carpets, Victorian bric-a-brac was removed from walls, and porcelain-on-metal chairs and instruments replaced wooden ones. Metal cabinets, unlike wooden ones, could be cleaned easily with disinfectants.
Electricity and running water also changed the dental office. While a window was still a main source of light, electric lights — often just a single bulb hung over the dental chair — replaced gas and oil lamps. Drills were powered by electricity instead of by foot, and spittoons used running water.
This equipment from the collection of Samuel S. Wexler, DDS, was originally used in one of the Boston Dental Group offices located at 63rd and South Halsted Streets. The Boston dentists were an advertising chain of 30 dental offices throughout the Chicago area. They were in business from 1895 to 1940. In 1940 the chain closed its offices because the State of Illinois abolished the practice of dental advertising
One hour service? I suppose that means once you got in the chair the dentist would finish in an hour.
The white "STERILIZER" cabinet with the red cross shows the early 20th-century push toward stricter cleanliness.
There was replacement of wooden furnishings with metal, glass, and porcelain, which could be kept more sanitary.
Imagining what the office must have been like before it was sanatized absolutely makes me shudder!
The State of Illinois banned commercial dental advertising in 1940.
This prohibition led to the closure of major advertising dental chains across the state—such as the Boston Dental Group mentioned in the exhibit, which operated around 30 local offices until the law took effect.
The ban remained strictly enforced for decades until major U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the late 1970s (such as Bates v. State Bar of Arizona) established First Amendment protections for professional commercial speech. Today, Illinois dentists are allowed to advertise as long as their claims are truthful and non-misleading.
I'm certainly glad advancements have been made over the years!
All photos are from my family albums
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