Mercury is a pretty poisonous material. It can kill you if you’re not careful. That’s why I’m surprised anyone thought it was ever a good idea to use it as a dental filling. Anyway, my parents have been getting their mercury fillings replaced with ceramic ones recently, and all the talk of dental work has got me thinking.
There are a lot of things to get mad about when it comes to historical inaccuracies in books and movies. Clothing being too ornate for the time period, modern politics or social issues forced into places they don’t belong, the inclusion of an invention that didn’t exist for another hundred years (or did exist, but only in a different country from the book or movie’s setting). I remember, however, reading a social media post by someone who was mad that medieval peasants in historical movies had perfect teeth.
Let’s correct a few assumptions, shall we?
First off, let’s talk about cavities. Back in the day, dentists were few and far between–and most people couldn’t even afford medical care. If your tooth started hurting, you got it pulled. Probably by a family member, a medical monk, or maybe a village blacksmith, because he’s the only one in town who owns a decent pair of pliers. But let’s think for a moment. What causes cavities? Bacteria. One of the worst offenders is the sort of bacteria that comes from eating sugar.
Medieval peasants didn’t have access to sugar. Therefore, they were less likely to get cavities than modern people. Of course, there are plenty of other factors at play. Genetics is one of them, and surprisingly, so is socioeconomic status. As time went on and sugar was introduced to Europe, only the nobility could afford access to enough sugar to rot their teeth. Queen Elizabeth I is famous for having black, sugar-rotten teeth.
Dental crowding wasn’t an issue, either. Since silverware was uncommon, people typically just tore off chunks of bread and meat with their teeth. (Also, we’re talking about Panera baguettes, not pre-sliced sandwich bread. Viking bread in particular was so tough that it was physically impossible to eat it if it had cooled down.) This strengthened their jaw muscles to the point that their jaws were wider, their mouths were bigger, and they were less likely to need braces than modern people.
That said, medieval people suffered from dental issues that really aren’t a problem in modern America. The one that comes to mind is molar wear. We take it for granted that our bread is nice and fluffy. A thousand years ago, you had to grind your own grain with millstones, which were pretty much smooth rocks that crushed grain into flour. And bits of the millstone liked to break off and find its way into your flour. Whenever archaeologists find the skeletons of older individuals from the days of stone-milled flour, the back molars are usually worn out from accidentally chewing bits of rock that made it into their daily bread.
Of course, all this isn’t to say that medieval peasants actually had perfect teeth. (And this isn’t to say that all of my research is perfect, either. This is all based on stuff I read a long time ago, and since I’m a bit too busy today to find sources, I’m simply trusting my memory.) But the notion that brushing your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste is the only way to have good teeth is definitely wrong.
What’s your pet peeve inaccuracy in historical movies? Let me know in the comments below! God bless you, dear readers, and don’t forget to review us on Amazon!