How Did Ancient Humans Survive a Toothache?

It's the middle of the night, a tooth in the back of your jaw is throbbing — and it's 40,000 BC. No painkillers, no dentist, no antibiotics. So what did people actually do? How did ancient people deal with a toothache? Did our ancestors lived with rotting teeth everywhere? In this video we will explore how ancient humans deal with a toothache and how they actually had better dental health than us. Who this is for: anyone fascinated by how ancient people actually lived, and the surprising origins of everyday things. #ancienthumans #ancientdentistry #humanhistory Studies & sources referenced: • Oxilia et al. (2015), Scientific Reports — the ~14,000-year-old Villabruna tooth, oldest known caries "manipulation" • Coppa et al. (2006), Nature — bow-drilled molars at Neolithic Mehrgarh, Pakistan (~7,500–9,000 yrs) • Estalrrich, Frayer et al. (2017), Am. J. Physical Anthropology — Neanderthal toothpick grooves (El Sidrón, Hortus) • Weyrich et al. (2017), Nature — poplar (salicylate) and Penicillium mould in an El Sidrón Neanderthal's dental calculus • Adler et al. (2013), Nature Genetics — the oral microbiome shifted toward disease with farming, and again with industrial sugar • Humphrey et al. (2014), PNAS — Taforalt, Morocco: ~50% of adult teeth decayed among hunter-gatherers • Marklein et al. (2019), Current Anthropology — 185-site meta-analysis; forager/farmer caries overlap by ~70%