Dental Office

The book The Dental Office: A Pictorial History, published in 1984 by Doctor Richard Glenner (1), is packed with photographs of dentists and their offices from the past, along with images of antique dental instruments. As it is arranged in chronological order, readers can see the progress in dental treatment from the simple methods used in ancient times to the complex techniques and tools in modern dentistry up until the 1980s. Access The Dental Office through the Internet Archive or at the U of T Dental Library.

The photos below show a recreation of a 19th century Toronto dental office and a modern office in the 20th century. As shown here, modern dental offices are planned to reflect healthcare values such as patient comfort, environmental sustainability, and operational efficiency, and anticipate future technological advancements, especially in infection control, air quality, and sterilization (2-4).