From Foot Power to Firepower: George F. Green’s Electric Drill Breakthrough
George F. Green (1832-1892), an American dentist, was a mechanically gifted inventor whose innovations helped modernize dental practice in the late 19th century. A Civil War veteran, Green patented multiple dental devices during his career. According to the U.S. Patent Public Search, he invented a pneumatic (air-powered) dental drill, Pneumatic Tooth Burr and Drill (U.S. Patent No. 77,370), patented on April 28, 1868 that was operated with a foot-powered bellows
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On January 26th, 1875, Green patented the first electric dental drill powered by a small electric motor, which was a breakthrough that revolutionized dentistry by dramatically reducing drilling time and patient discomfort while improving precision. The drill did this through the use of the motor which allowed it to reach higher speeds and maintain them consistently.
The Improvement in Electro-Magnetic Dental Pluggers (U.S. Patent No. 171,121) patented on December 14, 1875, clearly names George F. Green of Kalamazoo, Michigan, as inventor, and assigns the patent to Samuel S. White (a major dental manufacturing company).
According to historical-dentistry accounts, Green’s electric tool was among the first self-contained electric dental engines. However, widespread adoption took decades (as electricity was not yet common in all dental practices).
Green continued refining dental equipment throughout his career, advancing the shift from manual, foot-powered tools to electrically driven instruments. His work laid the foundation for modern high-speed dental equipment and remains central to the technologies that define contemporary dentistry.
Read More
- https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_725406
- https://patents.harnessip.com/www.hdp.com/www.hdp.com/?paged=9&utm
- https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/static/pages/ppubsbasic.html