A Roughly 400-Year-Old Jaw Reveals Scotland’s Earliest Known Evidence of a Gold Dental Bridge

More than 400 years before modern dentistry became a profession, a man in Scotland may have been walking around with a gold dental bridge made by a jeweler.

Researchers examining human remains from an Aberdeen church have discovered what may be the first known example of restorative dentistry in Scotland: a thin gold ligature wrapped around two lower front teeth, probably used to hold a replacement tooth in place. The man lived between 1460 and 1670, according to a study published in the British Dental Journal.

This discovery adds to the evidence that people were attempting astonishingly advanced dental work centuries before modern dentistry. The treatment also shows how much emphasis was placed on appearance in late medieval and early modern Europe.

“Given the social importance of a person’s appearance in the late Middle Ages and early modern era, as an outward expression of one’s moral character, it is likely that the reasons for undergoing this procedure extend beyond maintaining masticatory abilities and oral function,” the researchers wrote in their paper.

Scotland’s first known gold dental bridge

The discovery comes from the remains of a middle-aged man buried inside the East Kirk of St. Nicholas, one of Scotland’s largest medieval churches. Archaeologists excavated the site in 2006, recovering the remains of around 900 people as well as several tons of skeletons.

Right away, a lower jaw stood out.

A thin gold thread wrapped around the man’s right lateral incisor and left central incisor, filling the gap left by a missing tooth. Researchers believe the wire either stabilized a loose tooth or held a replacement tooth in place.

The bridge appears to have been worn out for years. One tooth had a worn groove where the wire repeatedly rubbed against the root.

The man also suffered from serious dental disease. Several teeth were decayed, some of which had more than half of the visible crown destroyed. Tartar had also accumulated on the teeth.

Learn more: 14th century tooth reveals grim fate of Edinburgh teenager killed by Black Death

Medieval dentistry was often practiced by barbers and artisans

At the time this man lived, dentistry was not yet a formal profession. People suffering from dental pain often turned to barbers, barber-surgeons, healers, or specialists called dentatores. In some cases, traveling “tooth pullers” performed public extractions while promoting supposedly painless techniques.

Medieval medical texts described the use of gold and silver wire to secure loose or replacement teeth, and these ideas spread in medical textbooks across Europe.

Researchers believe a goldsmith likely made, and perhaps even adjusted, depending on the materials and craftsmanship involved. Microscopic analysis showed that the ligature was composed of approximately 20 carat gold alloyed with silver and copper. Tiny tool marks showed that the wire had been carefully shaped using metalworking techniques common at the time.

At least 22 goldsmiths operated in Aberdeen during this period, according to historical records.

The procedure was likely expensive and inaccessible to most people. Of more than 100 early modern burials examined in the church, this was the only example of dental work.

Ancient dental work dates back thousands of years

The Scottish discovery is part of a much longer history of early dental work.

People were drilling and filling teeth thousands of years before modern dentistry existed. The researchers pointed to possible therapeutic dental work dating back around 14,000 years, including drilled teeth from Neolithic Pakistan and a 6,500-year-old dental filling made from beeswax discovered in Slovenia.

The ancient Egyptians also used gold and silver wire in dental bridges, although some archaeologists believe these bridges were added after death as part of burial rather than the actual treatment.

The Aberdeen ligature is notable for being worn throughout life – a reminder that even centuries ago, people were willing to undergo complex dental work to preserve their smiles.

Learn more: 100,000-year-old Neanderthal teeth could reveal how early humans moved across Europe

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