Ancient Mayans used precious metal, gems and stone for dental treatment

For archaeologists and historians artefacts and objects of the past reveal a lot about the period and people they belong to and so do teeth of ancient human beings and cultures. Take for instance the ancient Maya who gave a lot of importance to their teeth as per a report in sciencealert.com and had them filled with jade, gold, jet, turquoise or hematite gems.

Irrespective of their gender or economic status, men and women from across the society paid a visit to the dentist to have their teeth drilled and filled with minerals, expensive stones and jewels.

While the inlays which survived the individual’s lifetime had a spiritual significance there was more to it than just aesthetics as a new study suggests that the material used for cementing the gems to the teeth had therapeutic and hygienic attributes.

The adhesive used held the gems in place for not just a lifetime but thousands of years and the ingredients used to make it had properties and potential to combat tooth decay and also check the spread of infection and inflammation in the mouth.

The presence of a rich mix of organic components set the archaeologists thinking that this material which was used to glue did not merely have water-repelling properties. The fixing of small stones to the canines and incisors early in one’s life afforded guarding against cavities.

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