Most of us take for granted the modern benefits associated with a trip to the dentist. Whether arriving here to clean our teeth or to brighten our smile, most appointments are free of pain and will be completed in under an hour. Still, this would hardly be the case 13,000 years ago.
A recent discovery seems to hint that dental treatments took place as far back as the Palaeolithic Era. What types of potential treatment options existed at this time?
– The presence of bitumen signals that it may have been used to treat an infection.
– Chips within teeth could have removed damaged or painful areas.
– It appears that these substances were placed within the mouth when the individual was still alive.
“...if it was medicinal, it would probably be the earliest account of tooth filling for therapeutic purposes by a longshot, the authors say.”
Read more:
http://gizmodo.com/going-to-the-caveman-dentist-was-probably-a-nightmare-1794128593
Matthew Houlton BDS(Sheffield) MFGDP(UK)I’m Matthew Houlton, principal dentist and practice owner of Manor House Dental Practice.
Qualified from Sheffield dental hospital in 1993.
Post graduate training with Paul Tipton (Specialist Prosthodontist) from 2005-2007.
Diploma for Membership of the Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) 2007.
Special interest in Orthodontics.
Yorkshire Deanary Fixed Appliance Training Scheme 2002-2004.
I have worked at York Hospital’s orthodontic department one session a week since 2009.
Member of the British Society of Occlusal Studies (the study of temporomandibular disorder).
I have two children, who keep me busy when I am not at the practice. I take a keen interest in and teach Aikido, a martial art, to keep a healthy mind and body.
