Profession Dentist | Died 1913 | |
Born April 24, 1839 ( 1839-04-24 ) Known for Father of American Orthodontics, Developing , Publishing first paper that talked about Irregularities of teeth in 1874 Education Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery Books A Treatise on the Irregularities of the Teeth and Their Correction: Including, with the Author's Practice, Other Current Methods | ||
Dr. John Nutting Farrar (April 24, 1839 – 1913) was an American dentist who is considered to be Father of American Orthodontics. He published several of his work in Dental Cosmos which is known to be monumental for the field of Orthodontics at that time. His paper published in 1876 was the first paper ever published about the movement of teeth in the field of Dentistry.
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Life
He attended Academy of Pepperell for two years after which he joined a private school in Elmira, New York where he studied mathematics, astronomy, geology. Dr. Farrar attained both his DDS degree from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery. While studying at the college, Dr. Farrar roomed with Dr. Baxter, who later rose to become another prominent figure in the field of Dentistry. After graduating, Dr. Farrar spent 4 months in West Indies and upon the failing health of his mother, he returned to Pepperell, Massachusetts . He eventually returned to Philadelphia to pursue his MD degree which he attained in 1874 from Thomas Jefferson University. He then began teaching Operative Dentistry at the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery. His work on treating the alveolar abscess was eventually published in Dental Cosmos. He then started teaching at the Baltimore college of dental surgery where he continued teaching for more than 20 years. During his lifetime, he was member of Brooklyn Dental Society, First District Dental Society of New York, Odontological Society of New York and many others. After 1875, Dr. Farrar became the leading writer about the topic of Irregularities of Teeth.
Dr. Farrar was married to Sarah M. Chandler and had a son who died earlier in his infancy.
Orthodontics
He initially studied the process of tooth movement and his published his work in Dental Cosmos in 1876. His published work was titled Regulation of the Teeth made easy by the Positive System and he theorized that pressure moved teeth. He further published his work in Dental Cosmos in 1888 and 1898 where his work contained over 1400 pen and ink sketches drawn by him. These sketches, pertaining to tooth movement at that time, were important to orthodontics as a profession and the knowledge in the field. Dr. Farrar attended several dental meetings at that time and he was very vocal about advocating for orthodontics being established as a separate field than Dentistry.
Dr. Frarrar was known for many inventions and contributions during his life. He invented elastic car wheels and a type-writing machine, the first typewriter built in America. In 1875, he used 18k gold to regulate dental appliance and the results of this appliance was published in dental cosmos. He also invented water meter, screw-acting syringe used by physicians, antral tube and tubes for treating the antrum through the nares.