With May being Women’s History Month, we at Madison No Fear Dentistry wanted to draw attention to someone very important to the world of dentistry. Lucy Hobbs Taylor, the first woman dentist in America, as well as the first woman to graduate from dental school.
Lucy Hobbs Taylor was born on March 14, 1833, and was 7th of 10 children in her family. As a 12 year old, she got her first job as a seamstress. In the following years, she graduated from Franklin Academy in New York and began teaching for ten years in Michigan. In 1859 she applied to medical school and was denied because of her gender.
After being denied, she decided to open up a dental practice in Cincinnati without a diploma. She was able to study privately under the supervision of a teacher from the same school that denied her. She was denied two more times from dental school due to her gender. In 1865 she was allowed entrance into The Iowa State Dental Society as a senior. She graduated after one year with her doctorate in dentistry, becoming the first woman to graduate from dental school.
Lucy’s headstrong attitude allowed her to do what no other woman of her time had done before. She inspired 1000 women to follow in her footsteps by 1900. Today, women have been very active in the dental profession. At Madison No Fear Dentistry we are lucky enough to have two female dentists working at our office. Dr. Kourtney and Dr. Caitlin bring so much joy into the office each day while providing excellent care to their patients.
The world of dentistry over the last century has welcomed many wonderful women to the profession, because of Lucy’s determination to pursue her dream of becoming a dentist.