As a member of the New York University Class of 1959 in Dentistry, I am attempting a look back at the 45 years of progress in the Dental Arts.

When a young child entered my first and only office at 89-15 Parsons Blvd. in Jamaica in 1962, it was a strong likelihood that he or she would have rampant caries. That is, 20 or 30 surfaces of tooth structure would have to be restored. It would entail training the youngster to accept injected anesthesia and sit relatively quiet for operative dentistry and amalgam restorations.

When I left Parsons Blvd. in 1994 (Nov. 4) a young patient would surprise me if they had even one cavity. Fluorides played a huge part in this decrease of disease. Another factor was the dental education programs sponsored by organized dentistry. "See your dentist every six months" and other campaigns made the public aware.

In my early years root canal therapy was a tedious treatment. Files and broaches, operated between the thumb and forefinger, took their toll on both the dentist and the patient. Measuring the nerve canal was also difficult and sometimes inconclusive.

Today the filing is done by rotary engines and canals are filled with the aid of "apex finders." The dentist uses modern methods and the dreaded root canal therapy is pleasanter for the doctor and the patient.

Bleaching of teeth is another area of which we had no insight many years ago. Today every toothpaste manufacturer has some form of "tooth whitener." A process called "Britesmile" promises to bleach your entire mouth many shades whiter in a one-hour sitting. This was not possible in 1962.

Finally we come to implants. Many methods of tooth implantation into the maxillary and mandible arches were tried. Some forms of tooth implants were used in ancient Egypt. Today, implants are no longer a futuristic space-age process. Many dentists today easily integrate implants into everyday dentistry. Success rates depend on choosing the right mode for the right patient.

After eight years of writing Over 60 and Getting Younger I have finally written a "dental column." This was my life's work, but I have never put it on paper. Seeing the great advances in Dentistry made me write this column.