(taken from http://199.17.138.73/berg/)

The first mirror was some water surface maybe, where people could look at the picture of their neighborhood or the " picture" of themselves. Sometimes in the 6^th millennium before our age the polished obsidian desks started to appear, which served like mirrors. From the 2^nd century before our age metal mirrors from polished bronze started to produce. Old Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used these mirrors generally. Sometimes the Greek and the Roman used polished silver for similar purpose too.

The dental mirror
(taken from http://citd.scar.utoronto.ca/VPAB04/VPAB04_98/student/Decosta/conclusion.html)

The using of glass mirrors is dated into the middle Ages. The first kinds of these mirrors were appeared in Italian Venice around 1300 and from the 16^th century they were producing in large quantity. The original way of the production was in it that the back- side of glass was covered with composition of mercury and tin. German chemist Justus von Liebig made the first experiment to use the solution of silver to the effect in 1836. Gradually the various ways of production were developing dependent on the way of reduction silver salt into metallic silver. At present we use the solution of silver nitrate, which is poured on the surface of glass and it let act about one hour. During this time gradually the reduction of silver nitrate on metallic silver is proceeding. This small layer is dried, covered by shellac and it is painted by the characteristic gray color. In the last time it is used for production of mirrors also aluminum, which has this advantage that it is resistant better to corrosion (oxidation).

All mirrors mentioned higher are so called flat – mirrors, where the picture is shown in the unchanged shape and size. Except these ones are produced the concave mirrors and convex ones. The first are using for example in medicine and each who was at the dentist knows them. Except it that the doctor can see a tooth from the inaccessible side on top of it the picture is enlarge. Every automobilist knows them like ” parabola” in reflectors. The concave mirrors are using for example on crossroads with an advantage for drivers to see ” round the corner” because these mirrors enlarge visual angle.

The dental mirror
(taken from http://narang.com/dental-mirror.html)

There are made also mirrors for industrial and scientific purposes. They are often produced by vaporization of silver, rhodium or aluminum and their agglutination on the first area of the ground glass in vacuum. The reflect layer reaches the thickness about 0,1 micrometer and it must be saved on its surface (by silicon).