Scientists in Italy have found, what is reported to be, the first evidence of dental fillings in a human tooth. Dated at almost 14,000 years old, during the Ice Age, two central incisor teeth displayed "filled holes" in teeth. What were they filled with? Well it seems a mixture of bitumen, plant fibres and hair. Yummy.
And how exactly did they remove the decay in the first place? It seems the decay was chiselled away with "tiny stone tools." All done, before the first anaesthetic was ever invented.
I can feel you cringe from here!! Perhaps the most fascinating thing is that tooth decay has been around long before the current age of refined sugars, sweets and chocolate, and even before food such as basic cereals, honey and fruit were mainstream dietary staples.
So next time you find yourself in the dental chair, watching TV on the roof in a nice, clean, comfortable room, all numbed-up with anaesthetic, using modern filling materials (made in USA, Japan or Switzerland here at Northbridge Dentists), spare a thought for Ice-Age dentistry! And thank heavens it's not you!