Ancient Cosmetic Dentistry — A Beautiful Smile Is An Old, But Popular Idea
Like the look of ‘teeth jewelry’ or ‘tooth gems’? Have you improved your smile with dentures recently? Had cosmetic dentistry procedures that reshaped your teeth? Maybe you’re a dentist who has drilled a patient’s tooth lately. If you have, you’re not alone. In fact, archeologists have discovered these procedures have been popular for as long as 9,000 years in some instances. Surprised? So were many experts in and out of the dental profession.
The Reshaping Of Teeth By Vikings
Somewhere between 750 and 100 AD, the Vikings discovered the aesthetic value of shaping their teeth. Yes, these big nasty brutes known for raiding, murdering, and other heinous acts, saw their teeth as being important to their overall appearance. To look their best, they would file the enamel on their teeth down to create certain patterns.
This wasn’t the first time this idea was found in history, but it was the first time a practice of this type was noticed in European history. Experts believe the Vikings might have picked up the idea from ancient African cultures that filed their teeth to fine points. We don’t generally file tooth enamel for appearance now, but we do undergo procedures such as bonding to achieve a pleasing, unified look.
Ancient Mesoamerican Tooth Gems
Some people choose to have precious or semi-precious stones implanted into their teeth for a unique look, but they weren’t the first to come up with this idea either. As reported in the National Geographic, ancient Mesoamerican cultures added stones to their front teeth.
However, this practice has the experts confused. Archeologists aren’t sure why these ancient people had an archaic dentist perform this work. It didn’t signify class and doesn’t appear to signify a specific position within the community. The only real thing researchers have noticed is that it seems to be predominantly a male trait.
Dentures From A Mesoamerican Dentist
From the same time period, archeologists discovered this ancient culture also used to file their teeth flat in order to fit them with a rustic type of denture. This may have worked for a short time, but it also proved dangerous. Because this would have exposed the pulp inside the tooth, it likely caused terrible infections that might have caused the death of the patient. Not a pleasant way to go by any means, but certainly an interesting concept when you consider today’s methods of replacing smiles we can no longer repair.
Dental Repair The 9,000-Year-Old Way
Believe it or not, even without all of the new technology, dentists drilled and fixed teeth as early as 9,000 years ago in Pakistan. Again, researchers aren’t entirely sure why the teeth were expertly drilled out, but they believe with some decay present in some of the holes that it was meant as a treatment for toothaches. Again, experts believe this drilling technique would have caused infection and even death. However, the dental tools and precision of the dentist’s technique are nothing short of amazing.
The next time you have to go to the dentist, you will have something to talk about while you have your mouth gaping open and full of tools.
Tags: cosmetic dentistry, history
