have you ever seen the dental ornaments with jewels of the MayansThey are a true work of art, considering the time in which this civilization began to apply this dental inlay technique, which has been applied for thousands of years; Specifically, there is archaeological evidence dating back 2,500 years, that is, 500 years before Christ.
But the first archaeological evidence comes from the Phoenician civilization, which applied dental inlay techniques, making carvings of different shapes and figures, to insert on the front face of the teeth, some stones and precious metals that resembled garments or jewels with combinations gold and/or jade.
However, this Mayan civilization that did the same as the Phoenicians, was located in ancient Mesoamerica, what is now Central America, thousands of miles away from the Phoenicians, at a time when they were unlikely to communicate. It is worth mentioning that this civilization has been recognized for its great astronomical and scientific achievements, so it is not surprising that this technique of dental inlays has been effectively developed to honor their gods, since more than a fashion among them, it was as a deeply rooted custom; which is evidenced according to the archaeological evidence found.
The contributions of the Mayan civilization went far beyond its majestic constructions, which attested to its profound knowledge of architecture, which today can be seen in the enormous pyramids and temples that are still standing, and which were built without needing any technology. The Mayans also had knowledge of human teeth and their care, which is why they left evidence of their handling of cosmetic dentistry.
For these reasons, archaeological evidence has shown that not only the Phoenicians applied this technique, since the Mayan civilization applied the technique of dental inlays, when they began to use the alveoli of seashells to make dental implants to replace the pieces that were removed. they had fallen, but, in addition, they took advantage of the opportunity to insert precious stones such as jade, quartz or obsidian in the dental pieces that they placed in the denture.
It is important to point out that these dental inlays were used more than anything else by the so-called aristocracy of Mayan society, in order to demonstrate their social status and power; and they underwent painful procedures to carve their teeth, for which they used drills made of bone or hard wood, impregnated with a natural abrasive; after having put the person to sleep, using some hallucinogen or other plants with analgesic power, so that they would not feel so much pain, which became the typical anesthesia.
The level of knowledge about teeth was increasing, to the point that the aristocrats had their own dentists, who specialized in dental inlay techniques, and placed ornaments with stones and metals that simulated jewels, to increase the attractiveness or beauty of the teeth. dentures, which today would be seen as extravagant and inappropriate.
These Mayan dentists used to cut or file some teeth, in order to make them look more striking and beautiful, according to the concept of beauty that they handled at that time; There is even some archaeological evidence, which consists of teeth with small holes where precious stones were apparently located, which gave the smile a radiant beauty; that today would be a very expensive smile.
Various anthropological studies have found that almost all Mayan citizens, regardless of the social class to which they belonged, decorated their teeth with ornaments made of precious stones and gold, using a natural adhesive to fix them.
The result of these procedures used to be practically perfect, which has shown the high level of knowledge he had of dentistry, showing a great mastery of technique, pulse and precision, since they avoided tooth and nerve damage.
Both the Phoenicians and the Mayans left their legacies in the field of dentistry, but it was not until the Middle Ages that awareness of the importance of dental hygiene began to be realized, thanks to the work of Guy de Chauliac, who developed practices that influenced in modern dentistry, as well as Giovanni Da Vigo, who stood out at that time for being one of the first doctors to use gold leaves to fill cavities.
This is how, for thousands of years, precious stones and metals used in modern jewelry have been fundamental elements to make ornaments used to beautify the human body, including teeth, as we have related throughout this article. You would dare to embed yourself in his teeth; for example, rubies or diamonds, it sounds crazy, but the range of possibilities is open, fashions change and with it the lifestyles and preferences of people.