Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Ancient Mesoamericans had…Grillz?


A recent archaeological study shows that Mesoamerican dentists possessed both profound and sophisticated dentistry. Gems had been found in the teeth of the ancient people going back as far as 2,500 years ago. Ancient inhabitants of southern North America went to the dentist to drill semi-precious gems into their front teeth. This practice of dentistry did not classify the rich and the poor, but was merely for decoration. Most royal leaders of the time were found to not have the special treatment, while it was common for the lower class to posses the ancient “grillz.” It was said that even “royals of the day- such as the Red Queen… [didn’t] have teeth decorations.” The early dentists used a drill-like device that was made of obsidian and strong enough to puncture bone. Complex herbal anesthetic was said to be applied to the mouth before the actual studding to reduce any pain. The stones itself were attached to the teeth with natural adhesives such as plant sap mixed with different chemicals and bones. Impressive enough, the dentists had a very high understanding of the anatomy of the mouth and never corrupted the inside of the tooth. The Mesoamericans made many groundbreaking accomplishments in their time of reign, and now from recent discovery teeth studding can be added to the list of their impressive ancient attributes.




Kayce T.

Period 5

4 comments:

Neil B. said...

First off, Kayce, I love you, that made me laugh! :P

But, I would be interesting if that was how the Mesoamericans showed their wealth!

Jackie G. said...

This blog definitely gives me something to think about. I think it's crazy how Mesopotamian dentists had that kind of technology during their time period. I don't think I would have let anyone drill gems in my teeth!

NonaB said...

This is a very interesting and unexpected occurance! I think its really funny how different the people who wear grillz today are from the ancient Mesopotamians. Its also interesting that the lower class had grillz and the upper class did not. I would have expected it to be the other way around.

Keely said...

This really suprised me. First with the title but then again with the rest of the post. It's really interesting that dentistry was not reserved only for the high class people as in other societies but it was even more fascinating that the dentists of such a long time ago knew how to implant the jewels like that. Awesome job Kayce!! :D