Did Fred Flinstone have Fillings?

What do you think cavemen did when they had cavities? The details of Neolithic dental health has not always been known in great detail, but archaeologists have discovered jawbones with fillings made from beeswax. Scientists Federico Bernardini and Claudio Tuniz of Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics led the amazing discovery several years ago, lending credence to the idea that men and women in the far past may have been more innovative than the stereotypes of pointing and grunting.

Fillings Yesterday

For scientists to uncover a preserved jawbone with a beeswax filling meant a great deal of digging, but once found, many questions were answered. Never before had there been a jawbone from that far back with such a well preserved early dental restoration. Bernardini and Tuniz led their team in surmising that the beeswax plug in the hole in one of the teeth looked very similar to our modern fillings, but just made of different material. This filling from a Neolithic human likely reduced pain and stopped further infection just as fillings in cavities do today.

Fillings Today

Scientists and historians alike have long searched for more information on early dentistry. Beeswax would have made a smart choice as a restorative filling material. Beeswax is pliable and sticky at first, but just like metals or composite-resin, the wax from bees hardens after a while. Fortunately, if you want a filling in our modern times which will provide cosmetic benefits as well as sealing your cavity from further bacterial infection, tooth-colored fillings from Dr. Engelberg make the best modern choice.

ABOUT YOUR LIBERTYVILLE DENTIST:

Dr. Brent Engelberg and his highly-skilled team proudly serve patients and their families from Arlington Heights, IL, and all surrounding communities, including; Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, and the Northern and Northwest Chicago Suburbs. To learn more, schedule a consultation online, or call our office today at 847-259-8030.