Dentistry was brutal prior to the 20th Century and some would argue well into the 20th Century. I remember as a child in the 1970s having intense fear of the dentist - and it was painful.
Interesting fact: Barbers used to function as surgeons/dentists as well and bloodletting (as a "cure" for various ailments) was still in practice. In fact, the barber's pole is meant to signify the bandages that the barbers would have on hand for the bloodletting procedure.
