In the earliest days of Vernon’s history, those suffering from a toothache had limited options, and little hope for relief nearby. Without a permanent dentist in town, residents had to rely on traveling practitioners who passed through sporadically, often setting up temporary offices in local hotels.
One such dentist was Dr. Brown, a traveling dentist from New Westminster, who arrived in Vernon in October 1891. The local paper announced his presence so that anyone dealing with tooth complaints could find him at the Vernon Hotel before he moved on to Osoyoos and the Kettle River. Dr. Jones was another itinerant dentist who visited Vernon the following year in 1892, taking up temporary residence at the Victoria Hotel. But these early dental visits were not without serious risks.
In 1894, tragedy struck the Mohr family, who had only recently moved to Vernon. Seven-year-old Lonnie Mohr developed a severe toothache. After having the tooth extracted—likely by a traveling dentist—she developed septicemia, a systemic infection now known to result from untreated or poorly managed infections. Lonnie died not long after. A later autopsy revealed her jaw had been badly fractured during the extraction, leading to the fatal blood poisoning.
According to the Canadian Dental Association, many traveling dentists of the time were poorly trained, prone to making exaggerated claims, and quick to leave town after performing substandard work. The death of young Lonnie Mohr may well have contributed to a growing demand for better regulation and professional standards within the dental profession.
A few years later, in 1896, Vernon finally saw its first reported resident dentists. Dr. Corrigan, who hailed from Toronto, arrived in March and opened a practice on 30th Avenue. Though he had graduated with distinction in Ontario, he ran into trouble trying to receive certification to practice in British Columbia. He answered all the provincial exam questions correctly, yet was denied a certificate amid accusations of “undue influence brought to bear.”
Dr. Corrigan, however, did not back down. He appealed directly to the Attorney-General and was ultimately granted his certificate. The Vernon community stood firmly behind him, declaring that “a gross attempt has been made to do him an injustice,” and applauding his “pluck and endurance” in overcoming the barriers placed in his way.
GVMA #17409
Later that same year, Dr. Hall of Kamloops opened a second dental office in Vernon, sharing space with Dr. Corrigan. From those first two practitioners, the dental profession in Vernon continued to grow. By the late 1910s, several dentists were practicing in town, finally giving residents consistent, professional care.
Toothaches were no laughing matter in Vernon’s early years, and the road to reliable dental care was a long one. But thanks to the perseverance of early professionals like Dr. Corrigan, and the lessons learned from tragedies like that of Lonnie Mohr, the foundations for safe, standardized dentistry in the region were firmly established.
Archives Manager, Gwyneth Evans