Why did the teeth of ancient people who did not use toothbrushes or toothpaste never decay?

You probably use everything from brushing to flossing every day, but you still do cavities, tartar It won’t leave you alone, right? Even though dental treatments are very advanced today, the teeth of prehistoric humans were stronger than ours.

Research in recent years has shown that: In the Paleolithic It shows that the teeth of hunter-gatherer communities were healthier than those of those who led settled lives. No toothbrush, no toothpaste. But how can this happen?

As you can guess, the reason for this is all about diet.

old teeth

Because they are hunter-gatherers These communities ate the animals they hunted naturally and did not consume processed foods and sugar like we do. In fact, this is what causes our teeth to rot despite all the care.

Made with artificial intelligence.

Alan Cooper, director of the Australian Ancient DNA Centre. He did research on this subject. According to the study, the amount of harmful, disease-causing bacteria was lower in ancient communities and the risk of developing gum disease was obviously the same. But it all started with agriculture.

Cooper; from meat, nuts and vegetables suggests that the switch to grains and sugar is wreaking havoc on our mouths. In his research he explains this situation with the following sentences:

“Researchers have found that as prehistoric humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming, some types of disease-causing bacteria, which were particularly efficient at using carbohydrates, began to predominate over other types of friendly bacteria in the human mouth. During the Industrial Revolution “The addition of processed flour and sugar made the situation worse.”

Is brushing your teeth actually not that hygienic?

old teeth

in Spain To Miriam Cubas from the University of Alcala de Henares according to; In the Paleolithic, hunter-gatherers ate only by consuming the meat of land animals.

This way of eating, people of that period He states that it helps keep his teeth healthy. Cubas states that they observed that the teeth in the skeletons of people who lived after the transition to settled life and the beginning of agriculture were full of caries.

tooth decay

Besides this situation “Is brushing your teeth actually harmful?” It also begs the question. Let’s answer it right away. No, it is not harmful, but there are both beneficial and harmful bacteria in our mouths. While dental floss, pastes and similar substances destroy harmful bacteria, They also destroy the bacteria that protect the health of our teeth.

Finally The transition to agriculture has changed people’s daily eating habits The addition of carbohydrates, grains and sugar caused dental problems. As our eating habits change, our oral health is also significantly affected. But it has a more negative effect every day…

Sources: NPR, DOCs Education, Nature