The Teeth Of Early Humans

One of the indicators of when a skeleton is from, before carbon dating is used, or if it isn’t applicable, is by looking at the teeth. If the teeth have decay, the bones are affected by periodontitis then we can be sure that is it from after the Bronze Age, whereas if the mouth is free from cavities, we can be sure that it is a prehistoric human. How does that make any sense? Read this informative article to find out.

Oral hygiene habits of early humans

Anatomically modern human beings first evolved in Africa, and the archaeological evidence from that continent has a lot to say about the tooth cleaning habits of modern humans. To clean teeth and remove food detritus, they mostly chewed sticks, and used clam shells and other sharp objects to replace broken or missing teeth. If a tooth did get a cavity, which was extremely rare, almost unheard of, the teeth were generally pulled. But the main form of protection that prehistoric, early humans had was prevention, which happens to be the best form of medicine.

Dietary habits

The main reason that prehistoric people had no cavities was not because of their advanced scientific knowledge, but because they didn’t eat any carbs, in fact, they hardly ate anything at all. When they ate food, it was usually semi-raw or completely uncooked. Cooked vegetables and carbohydrates were a very small part of their diet. They usually ate wild fruits and berries, and only occasionally ate vegetables and meat was a supreme supplement that was rare, coveted, and doled out in strict portions. With this kind of diet, the oral bacteria do not have much to proliferate on, and the bacteria will remain in controlled amounts, and thus will not be present in large enough numbers to actually harm the tooth enamel and cause tooth decay. Their oral environment was also much more diverse, meaning more kinds of bacteria lived in their mouths, some useful, some harmful, but all regulated by each other. Instead, modern life has brought us carbs that feed bacteria that damage our teeth, and force all mother bacteria life to the sidelines.         

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