Dental symbol?

[predentchick]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Ok. Dumb question here! I tried a search and couldn't find it. What does the dental symbol mean? (The circle, the triangle, the snake, etc.) Thank you!! Always wanted to know, just never asked. 😳

 

[UBTom]

The staff of Aescapulus with the snake around it is the symbol of medicine.

The "triangle" is the Greek alphabet delta. Delta stands for dentistry.

ergo, dental medicine.

HTH!

 

[predentchick]

Gotcha. Thanks!

 

[Comet208]

Tom, is there ANYTHING that you don't know????
may i admit that i envy you???

 

[Yah-E]

The circle "O" around the triangle (Delta) stands for Odonto

The two branches with berries on the ends of both sides of the staff of Aescapulus symbolizes the deciduous dentition and the perminent dentition (each branch has 16 leaves for 16 perminent teeth in each arch and there are 10 berries on the ends of each branch for 10 deciduous teeth in each arch)

 

[dentaltom]

There's a great 😉 story behind that snake.
The snake is actually an african guinnea worm wrapped around a stick. The guinnea worm is a parasite that burrows out of your skin and releases offspring from it's terminal end. The terminal end sticks out. When our ancient ancestors saw these things sticking out of their skin they would try to pull them out. Unfortunately, the worm would rip and then dissappear again and regrow. The first doctors mastered a technique of wrapping the worm around a stick while slowly pulling the worm out. Thus, the origins of physical medicine.