# what Could Ancient Dentists Do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 19, 2006, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-ancient-dentists-do/384771 "2006-12-19T13:29:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-ancient-dentists-do/384771/21 "2006-12-20T17:21:55Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] [I found this contradiction of that claim:](http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/bread.htm) [/QUOTE] Grit may not have been added directly to the meal but it comes in from [the mill itself.](http://www.ou.edu/cas/archsur/OKArtifacts/mano.htm) > [@](#): > > Many specimens will have shallow cups or pits pecked in the center of the grinding face and the entire grinding surface will commonly show roughening from peck marks. This was done to facilitate the grinding process as the surface must be frequently roughened in order to grind properly. When the grinding stone surface becomes too smooth, it will not grind the meal but slips on the basin which must also be roughened. As the stones become smoothed from use, the crushed stone becomes mixed into the flour providing grit which can produce extensive tooth wear, as is observed on many Indian burials. The handstone, of course, although primarily for use with the milling basin, was also used frequently as a hammerstone or anvil. With continued re-roughening and utilization, the stone would become thinner in cross section and when it became inconvenient to hold, it was discarded. The grit ground off the mortar and pestle goes into the flour. If you have enough skulls from a population you can get relative ages from the amount of tooth wear caused by that grit. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-ancient-dentists-do/384771/22 "2006-12-20T17:26:18Z")
Not sure if it answers this or not but I remember discussing osteoclasts in Anatomy which is a factor in braces for teeth. This seems to me would be the process by which the body would reabsorb bone and free up calcium but I don’t know if this can actually happen with teeth. From wiki: > **[Osteoclast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteoclasts#Use_in_orthodonture)** > > An osteoclast (from Ancient Greek ὀστέον (osteon) 'bone', and κλαστός (clastos) 'broken') is a type of bone cell that breaks down bone tissue. This function is critical in the maintenance, repair, and remodeling of bones of the vertebral skeleton. The osteoclast disassembles and digests the composite of hydrated protein and mineral at a molecular level by secreting acid and a collagenase, a process known as bone resorption. This process also helps regulate the level of blood calcium. > Osteocla... ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-ancient-dentists-do/384771/23 "2006-12-20T17:30:33Z")
Drilling of teeth, presumably for therapeutic dental purposes, goes back a LOT further than to the 1st century, or even ancient Egypt. [This site](http://www.accessscience.com/Newsletter/IOW_04_09_06.html) (one of a number with similar info) shows a drilled tooth from 5000 BC ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-ancient-dentists-do/384771/24 "2006-12-20T18:36:49Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] Grit may not have been added directly to the meal but it comes in from [the mill itself.](http://www.ou.edu/cas/archsur/OKArtifacts/mano.htm) The grit ground off the mortar and pestle goes into the flour. If you have enough skulls from a population you can get relative ages from the amount of tooth wear caused by that grit. [/QUOTE] I still say its a bit of a leap to conclude tooth wear is cuased by grit in the flour. People have tooth wear today, and there is a lot less grit in the flour, I would think. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-ancient-dentists-do/384771/25 "2006-12-20T20:18:47Z")
[QUOTE=KarlGauss] Drilling of teeth, presumably for therapeutic dental purposes, goes back a LOT further than to the 1st century, or even ancient Egypt. [This site](http://www.accessscience.com/Newsletter/IOW_04_09_06.html) (one of a number with similar info) shows a drilled tooth from 5000 BC [/QUOTE] OUCH! That looks painful to the max. Question: How did they get that drilling aparatus into a persons mouth? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-ancient-dentists-do/384771/26 "2006-12-20T21:33:29Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] I still say its a bit of a leap to conclude tooth wear is cuased by grit in the flour. People have tooth wear today, and there is a lot less grit in the flour, I would think. [/QUOTE] Ah, but you haven’t seen the molars of a person who spent his life eating hand-ground breadstuffs. Nor will you, since I’m too cheap to subcribe to the pertinent journals. Correction: May I present [Ötzi, the Iceman!](http://radiology.rsnajnls.org/cgi/content/full/226/3/614/F6) > [@](#): > > Certain features detected in the corpse suggest that the iceman’s body had adapted to cultural and environmental influences (Table 5). The teeth show evidence of cultural adaptation. All teeth were worn flat, with the exception of the last cusps on second molars, where they were not apposed by portions of teeth above or below. The flattened premolars and molars are assumed to result from the grinding action of chewing. It is known that einkorn wheat grain was ground, made into meal, and baked into bread. Stone particles in the ground meal and crust from the hard bread would cause abrasive action. Uniform wear of the grinding teeth would result (21). And here is a collection of systems for rating tooth wear: [http://www.nd.edu/~stephens/toothwear.html](http://www.nd.edu/~stephens/toothwear.html) Sure, we all wear down our teeth but I don’t suppose you’ve see molars with the enamel worn clean through and the dentin worn flat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-ancient-dentists-do/384771.md?page=1)