Found the oldest dental fillings
Archaeologists discovered a pair of sealed anterior teeth, the age of the finds — 13 000 years.
The two upper Central incisor belonging to one person were found on the site Riparo Fredian near Lucca in Northern Italy. Each tooth has a big hole, which extends deep down into the pulp chamber of the tooth, says New Scientist.
Archaeologist Stefano Benazzi and his team used a variety of ways to consider carefully the inner part of the hole and discover a number of tiny horizontal marks on the walls. It is assumed that they were drilled and enlarged, probably a small stone tools. A similar mark, but much more ancient, had once been discovered by the same scientist — then this was evidence of dental skills in the stone age.
Oldest tooth filling was made by an Ice Age dentist in Italy https://t.co/zRjMy1U1jI pic.twitter.com/qXcY5CHO7J
— New Scientist (@newscientist) April 7, 2017
But this finding contains traces innovations of the era.
Holes in the teeth contain bitumen with traces of various herbs and hair, the purpose of which is not entirely clear, but scientists believe that it is not leftover food, and a special additive in the seal.
Claudio Tuniz, archaeologist and Australian Vologodskogo University, has suggested that bitumen was used as an antiseptic, as well as beeswax in other less ancient finds. According to him, this discovery suggests that humanity was capable of treat teeth well before the permanent use in food products such as honey and cereals, because of that, and had problems with teeth.