People have always had to worry about tooth decay, but treatments weren't always as good as they are now. Early humans had a lot of creative ways to fix their cavities.
Drilling and not filling
The earliest known treatment for cavities is a bit horrifying. It was done between 7,500 and 9,000 years ago in what is now Pakistan. Early dentists would use flint drill heads to scrape away areas of tooth decay, but they left the holes open instead of filling them. This would have allowed more food and bacteria to build up inside the hole, meaning that our early ancestors would soon develop another cavity in the same spot.
Beeswax fillings
Dentistry improved a little bit in the years that followed, and by 6,500 years ago, early dentists were filling cavities with beeswax. Beeswax protected the sensitive inner parts of the tooth, and kept more bacteria and food from accumulating in the hole, causing even more decay. Unfortunately, beeswax tends to melt if it comes in contact with hot food, so this treatment wasn't perfect.
Linen fillings
As time went by, people became better dentists. By the time of the Egyptian empire, about 2,000 years ago, dentists were able to remove decayed areas from teeth and then fill the holes with linen. They dipped the linen in medicine to make the tooth hurt less and to fight off infection. The linen also kept food particles out of the cavity and kept it from getting any worse. This was better than beeswax, but more advancements were still to come.
Amalgam fillings
By the 19th century, people weren't using beeswax or linen to fill their teeth anymore. A new filling material had been developed, called amalgam. Amalgam was a mix of mercury, silver, tin, copper, and zinc. It was an effective way to fill cavities, but the high amount of mercury in the filling material caused serious health problems in the patients. Most notably, it caused a condition called phossy jaw, also known as necrosis of the jaw.
Modern tooth colored fillings
Fortunately, you're alive in the present day, so you don't have to worry about your dentist filling your tooth with beeswax, linen, or toxic metals. Nowadays, dentists fill teeth with tooth colored fillings made of resin or porcelain. These materials are completely safe, and look just like natural teeth, so future archaeologists may not even know that you had dental work done.
Treatments for cavities have never been as safe or as aesthetically pleasing as they are now, so if you have a toothache, see your dentist right away for treatment.
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