Modernly, most people in developed nations have their wisdom teeth removed. How did ancient civilizations handle the pesky problem of wisdom teeth? Is there any evidence to suggest the ancients performed "routine" dentistry?

by Accidental-Genius

I appreciate your knowledge and insights!

Deirdre_Rose

The Ancient Greeks had some idea of dentistry, mostly related to teeth extraction (there are some great examples of tools in the National Archaeoogical Museum in Athens). There are also a number of recipes in early medical texts for dealing with dental pain and unhealthy gums. Some recipes are pretty logical, involving chalk as a detergent and a flavoring agent such as aniseed. Others are a little more... well... intestines of a mouse is in one of them, so make of that what you will.

On the note of wisdom teeth specifically though, not everyone has them and not everyone who has them actually needs to get them removed. In America especially, preemptive removal of wisdom teeth has become part of the dental industry - whether or not the patient really needs them removed. For another thing, a common issue with having wisdom teeth is that there's not enough space for them. In a society where teeth are getting worn down much faster and the only solution to infection is just to pull out the whole tooth, crowded jaws are much less of a problem. Still there would have been an unlucky few with impacted wisdom teeth and nothing to do about it. But living with pain was a huge part of life in the ancient world and a fascinating difference between us and our ancestors!