1950's Science and Technology | Dental Drills: High Speed and Painless (More or Less)

Slow Pain.

Before 1950 dental drills were available, but they were slow and required a series of belts and pulleys. Having teeth drilled was a long and tedious process. Dentists could treat only a few patients each day. The process of drilling teeth was so painful, though, that patients did not complain about the wait: they wanted as many days between treatments as possible.

Nelson-Kampula.

In 1951 a Swedish dentist made an airpowered, high-speed drill. This tool was a significant advance, but it had technical problems. It produced heat and could only be run for a short while before it burned the dentist's hand. In 1953 American dentist Robert Nelson and engineer John Kampula, funded by the American Dental Association, developed a water-powered drill. It ran at high speed, stayed cool, and did not require belts and pulleys. It had other technical drawbacks, though, including a slight drip of oil in the patient's...