Larry F. James, DDS

Tulsa was originally intended to be a part of Indian Territory in 1836 when the Creek and Lochapoka tribes arrived here following the Trail of tears. Under a tree that would be called Creek Council Oak Tree, they established a home and named this new settlement Tallasi, which means “old town” in the Creek language. Over time, it was changed to Tulsa and in January of 1898, Edward Calkins would become the first mayor by election.

The first oil well would be discovered in 1901 and name Sue Bland No. 1, putting this tiny town on the map. Sitting near the Arkansas River banks, it would turn out to be a great crossroads for commerce and growth and about 15 miles south of there, Glenpool would be found in 1905. This would bring a rush of entrepreneurs to the area who wanted a part of the growing number of oil fields. In less than 30 years, the population of Tulsa would grow to more than 140,000, with a surge up to 180,000 in 1909.

For the better part of the 20th century, Tulsa would be known as the “Oil Capital of the World” and with that title brought much attention and success, especially in the construction and energy industries. Tulsa would fare better than most American cities during the Great Depression because of its foothold in the oil industry. This is apparent by the art deco buildings that are still standing today.

During the early part of the 20th century, Tulsa had an area that was named “Black Wall Street”, which was one of the country’s most prosperous African American communities. It was situated in the Greenwood neighborhood and would become better known for being where the Tulsa Race Riot took place in 1921. This was noted as one of the most violent racial acts in the nation even still today. It would continue on for 16 hours until the National Guardsmen were deployed by the Governor. Reports would later state that 16 whites were killed and 23 black were killed.

Tulsa has never been one to let anything keep it down and in 1925, Tulsa, Cyrus Avery, a businessman that would become known as the “Father of Route 66,” would begin his campaign for a road to run between Chicago and California. As such, Tulsa is known as the “Birthplace of Route 66”. This would become an important part of the development of Tulsa and became a rest stop that was popular among those traveling from East to West or West to East.

Experts have a hard time determining when dentistry came to be versus when civilization and humanity started. There is evidence from the dating from Harappan periods of the Indus Valley Civilization around 7000 BC that remains had teeth that had been drilled. Perhaps this was some form of dental surgery, a specialized medicine.

By the time Tulsa was settled in what was originally Indian Territory in the 1830’s. The Trail of Tears brought 5 civilized tribes from as far away as Florida and they would come with their own medicine man and rituals for healing the ill. This most likely included dental work, although we haven’t been able to find such evidence for this piece.

Today, we all know that dentistry is within the medical industry with a focus on the teeth. It is the study, the diagnosis, the prevention, and the treatment of oral matters such as cavities, diseases, and disorders. It is also the oral mucosa that is adjacent to and related to the structures and the tissues in the maxillofacial area.

Although for the general public, the teeth that are primarily associated with dentistry is not limited to odontology, which is Greek for tooth. Dental school is the study of the abnormalities, development, and structure of the teeth. And since there is a substantial overlap in the different concepts, dentistry is frequently understood to subsume the now bigger defunct medical specialty of the study of the mouth and its diseases and disorders.

Today, dentistry is largely considered important for our overall health and the treatment that is done by a dental team that has been educated and trained in this field. Some of those people are the dentist, dental assistants, and dental therapists. The majority of dentists today work in a private practice and others may work with a hospital as secondary care or in institutions such as armed force bases and prisons.

As Tulsa would settle the once plains of the American Natives, they would find the need for doctors and dentists by late nineteenth century.

Oklahoma wasn’t alone in this need, though, it was needed all across the country. And like anything in life, the residents of Tulsa would see their fair share of medical quacks that came from diploma mills. These so-called doctors and dentists would prey on the population, such as those who ‘graduated’ from Twentieth Century Physio-Medical College, a diploma mill Guthrie Oklahoma.

Today, though, the dentists and doctors are legitimate in Tulsa and the surrounding area thanks to those such as Ohio’s own Dr. John M. Harris who started the first dental school in the world. He would go on to establish dentistry as a profession and where he once taught school is now a dental museum.

Today a dentist may graduate from anywhere in the world. Regardless where a dentist completes their studies, you can be certain that they all know the process of removing an asymptomatic impacted third molar, otherwise known as wisdom teeth.

In fact, the dental schools has focused classes on a student becoming a general dentist or specialized dentist such as an oral surgeon. There are also those who will specialize in braces or dental care of children only.

The University of Oklahoma had its first dentistry program as an oral surgery program and had courses established within the Department of Surgery. It was Francis Reichmann that would be the first clinician and went on to become a professor.

From 1828 to 1836, Tulsa went through a transformation of being open, untamed prairie land thanks to the 5 civilized tribes that settled here on the Trail of Tears. It was known as the “Oil Capital of the World” for much of the 20th century and the oil industry of today has much to credit T-Town.

Today, Tulsa boasts at being the 2ndlargest city in Oklahoma as well as the 47th populous city in America. Although the oil boom moved from Tulsa to Houston eventually, and Tulsa population did decline, it is a diversified state that would see to this town keep growing and thriving. The diversification the city offers now is credited with the population of over 6,200 between the 2010 census and 2013.

The diversification efforts have brought many industries and the companies that create those industries to Tulsa, making the unemployment rate one of the lowest nationwide. There is everything here from aviation and energy to finance and telecommunications, as well as the technology industry.

Other parts of the world benefit from the Tulsa Port of Catoosa, which is positioned at the head of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. It is the furthest inland river port in the U.S. and has access to international waterways. There is also the Tulsa International Airport serving many major cities around the world as well.

When it comes to higher education, there are 2 institutions that call Tulsa home. The Oral Roberts University and the University of Tulsa, both of which have presented the world with some notable people and let’s not forget to mention the k-12 grades of education that are among the best in the country.

Tulsa is not without is cultural either. Here you’ll find 2 art museums that are world-renowned, a full-time professional ballet and opera companies. The city is full of art deco architecture and has been labeled one of the country’s most livable large cities by several publications.

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