PART II: EVOLUTION OF THE DENTAL ASSISTANT
DR. C. EDMUND KELLS
DR. C. EDMUND KELLS (1887)
Had a huge impact on the profession of dentistry and dental assisting:
- Kells was the first dentist to use compressed air in the dental office for drying the teeth and developed an oral suction pump, which, during surgery in the mouth, enabled him to clear blood and saliva from the operating area. Both techniques allow the operator to better see the area (s)he was working on and is a technique that is used everyday and on every patient in today's dental offices.
- Dr. Kells was the first dentist to hire a "lady assistant" or "lady in attendance" which was a decision that met with scorn from his more conservative father. His lady assistant is what we today call a dental assistant. The hiring of a lady assistant by Dr. Kells, made it respectable for unaccompanied females to visit his office. Dr. Kells went on to write at least one article describing the benefits of hiring a dental assistant. Among the benefits was his ability to increase the amount of patients seen in a day as his assistant was able to do some of the tasks that previously were taking up Dr. Kells time. A dental assistant was also instrumental in decreasing the time it took to treat a patient, as the assistant was able to, for instance "keep the tooth dry" while the dentist was preparing to place filling material.
- Dr. Kells wrote in a Journal of Dental Service mentioning the "LADY IN ATTENDANCE" stating: "She would eventually be found in every dental office."
