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Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?

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Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?

#81

Post by gumby »

lettergram wrote: post #13

> We have very few teeth from this period in Africa. We don’t know if this is unusual or not, Alternative view, cavities were common and the teeth were removed / fell out.

Do modern skulls lose their teeth too? Do we find them in a little pile under the skull?

Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?

#82

Post by nabilhat »

Betteridge's law applies. It's well understood that hominids experienced tooth decay throughout their evolution. Causes and contributors and rates over time may be up for debate, but the evidentially confirmed fact that our ancestors got cavities is settled.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_decay#History

Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?

#83

Post by mateo1 »

bsder wrote: post #54

The fact that we have "wisdom teeth" seems to indicate that ancient humans did, in fact, get cavities and lose teeth to them.

Also nobody mentions all the starchy stuff and the fruit our ancestors ate. It's just odd how people reinterpret the entire history of our species based on recent dietary fads.

Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?

#85

Post by VerminOctopus1 »

artificialLimbs wrote: post #44

1 drop clove oil, 1/2 cup water. Swish regularly. It's an antiseptic. 19 years ago I went to the dentist and he told me I needed to have a cavity filled. I skipped that. I didn't go back (or to any other dentist) until last year. Got the x-rays. No cavities. Stuff works. Oh and stop eating sugar.

This is unscientific nonsense. Clove oil isn’t going to repair a hole in your tooth.

Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?

#86

Post by strbean »

silisili wrote: post #56
artificialLimbs wrote: post #44

1 drop clove oil, 1/2 cup water. Swish regularly. It's an antiseptic. 19 years ago I went to the dentist and he told me I needed to have a cavity filled. I skipped that. I didn't go back (or to any other dentist) until last year. Got the x-rays. No cavities. Stuff works. Oh and stop eating sugar.

A cavity is a literal hole in your tooth. No amount of clove oil can fix that. I'm glad you found something that works for you, seriously, but I'd be careful over attributing. The most likely explanation would be never actually having had a cavity in the first place.

Often going to another dentist and getting a second opinion will "fix" your cavity, but give you a new one in a different tooth.

Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?

#87

Post by gregwebs »

taurusnoises wrote: post #74

Weston A Price is really the go-to for the early research in nutrition and dentistry. His book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration was making the rounds back when Nourishing Traditions became popular. Price, conclusively in my mind, showed that the moment the modern western was introduced into cultures who ate traditional foods, the next generation had terrible teeth, jaws that were too small for all their teeth, etc…

It’s a 100 year old book that is still required reading if you want to understand the subject of the article because Price visited existing healthy cultures around the world that had few cavities. He concluded that the shift from a nutrient dense diet to a nutrient poor diet (white flour and sugar) was the cause of cavities.

Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?

#88

Post by VerminOctopus1 »

denimnerd42 wrote: post #50

genes probably. I’m mid 30s and have never had a cavity. I go to the dentist every 6months. I also have a huge sweet tooth.

I’m in the same boat. I’ve eaten a lot of junk in my life (standard North American trash diet), and have never had a cavity or any serious dental issue in my life. I also get a cleaning every 6 months at the dentist. I’d be shocked if the likelihood of developing a cavity didn’t have a large genetic component.

Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?

#89

Post by cgh »

mateo1 wrote: post #83
bsder wrote: post #54

The fact that we have "wisdom teeth" seems to indicate that ancient humans did, in fact, get cavities and lose teeth to them.

Also nobody mentions all the starchy stuff and the fruit our ancestors ate. It's just odd how people reinterpret the entire history of our species based on recent dietary fads.

If you read the article, you’ll see fruit is mentioned multiple times, including the frequency of its consumption. There is no mention of dietary fads.

Re: Why didn't our ancient ancestors get cavities?

#90

Post by dev-3892 »

denimnerd42 wrote: post #50

genes probably. I’m mid 30s and have never had a cavity. I go to the dentist every 6months. I also have a huge sweet tooth.

if you're mid-30s you probably had an extra enamel coating applied to your teeth at some point that may be doing some pretty awesome work protecting your molars
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