Horace Wells

Biography

Horace Wells was a pioneering American dentist who made groundbreaking contributions to the field of anesthesia in dentistry. In 1844, he famously demonstrated the use of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, to eliminate pain during tooth extraction, revolutionizing dental practice and patient comfort.

Wells practiced dentistry in Hartford, Connecticut, and his innovations laid the foundation for modern pain management in medical procedures. Though his life was tragically brief, his legacy endures as a fundamental advancement in both dentistry and anesthesiology, earning him recognition as a visionary in the history of medicine.