Though the prospect may fill them with dread, everyone at some stage requires the ministrations of their dentist - and the reality is that there has never been a better time for a Briton to receive dental treatment, as this fully illustrated introduction shows.
Once merely a sideline for the crude, unregulated and dangerously unsanitary barber surgeons plying their trade in town squares and backstreets, it was not until regulation began during the reforming drive of the 1870s that movement was made towards the highly trained and reliable profession of today. This progress has been dramatic and relatively swift, with dentists now among the most highly trained of medical professionals, dental health at an all-time high and cosmetic dental care now a massive industry in its own right.
