If you lived thousands of years ago and had tooth troubles, who would help you? In ancient Egypt there were doctors; in ancient Greece you could go to a temple and hope to be cured in a dream. In other places, you might ask a traditional healer to east your pain with risky remedies. North African village healers would put a dead mouse in your mouth. In Scotland, they’d tell you to suck a caterpillar. In Asia, you’d swill poisonous mouthwash to kill(imaginary) toothworms. The Aztecs of ancient Central America found biting on a hot chili pepper surprisingly soothing.
Early Tooth Treatments
CRANK, CRANK! Ancient Egyptians drilled holes in jawbones to let pus from rotten teeth and gums drain away. Very risky, very painful.
BUZZ OFF! To treat toothaches, ancient Egyptians rubbed gums with sweet, sticky honey from beeds – gentle, soothing and mildly antiseptic, but rarely a cure.
PINS AND NEEDLES. Chinese healers stuck needles into patients to numb pain from diseased teeth. This is called acupuncture. It may have helped, sometimes.
COUGH!SPLUTTER! To ease tooth troubles, ancients Greeks breathed poisonous smoke from burning leaves. We don’t know how many died from the poison.
SIZZLE, SIZZLE! Greek doctors used red-hot wire to cut away infected gums and diseased flesh in the mouth. Absolutely terrifying!
暑假來臨，你有什麼計畫呢？黃醫師特別幫大家挑選了一本英文圖書 – 「You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Dentists！」(你不會想活在沒有牙醫的世界)，讓大家一起來聽故事！
Toothless = Helpless
We all need our teeth to eat and talk and smile. But what happens when they get damaged, or we lose them? In the past, there was no easy way to repair or replace teeth chipped in accidents, knocked out in battle, or ground down by chewing tough, gritty food. Disease, poor nourishment, and old age made teeth wobble, crack, and crumble and many teeth rotted simply because they were not kept clean. Long ago, life with teeth trouble would be painful, difficult, and probably smelly. You’d be toothless and helpless.
Past Tooth Trouble
HORRIBLE HOLES. Cavities(holes) let bacteria spread deep inside teeth to infect pulp, nerves, and jaws.
YUCKY INFECTIONS. Bacteria living around teeth made people feel sick and made their breath smell disgusting.
HEART TROUBLE. Blood carried bacteria from rotten teeth to the heart, which stopped it from working properly.
GHASTLY GRIN. Black, broken teeth and a gappy smile were not a good look for anyone, even a long time ago.
LOST LOOKS. Without teeth, people’s faces changed shape. They had hollow cheeks and shrunken gums.
MOUTH DISEASE. Broken, dirty teeth hurt the inside of the mouth and caused nasty ulcers and boils.
FOOD FAILURE. With no teeth for chewing, people could eat only soft mushy foods. They went hungry!
SPEECHLESS. It was hard to speak clearly without teeth and just as difficult for listeners to understand!
WHY DOES A TOOTHACHE HURT SO MUCH?When teeth are damaged, sensitive nerves deep inside them are exposed. They carry messages about heat, cold and pain directly to the brain.
Do you love music? Then love your teeth, too! If you sing, or play woodwind or brass, damaged teeth could spoil the sound you make.