Lisbon, Portugal—according to A Phys.org According to reports, a dental bridge resembling three U-shaped teeth from the nineteenth century was found at the site of a hospital cemetery in northwestern Portugal. According to Steffi Vassallo of the University of Lisbon, the device probably served an aesthetic rather than functional purpose. The remains of an adult female, aged between 1801 and 1831, were found on the bridge. Large parts of her face and lower jaw were missing, but remains indicate that several teeth were missing from the woman’s upper jaw at the time of her death. However, these empty tooth sockets began to heal and close. Only two of the woman’s own teeth were recovered from the burial. Examination of the dental bridge with micro-CT scanning, X-ray diffraction and zoo archeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS) revealed that the bridge was made from the bone of an animal. Bovidae family, such as cattle, European bison, or perhaps even African antelope. Testing also found the presence of lead in the dental equipment. Poisonous metal would have been used to reinforce the holes on the sides of the bridge, with wire or thread possibly placed to fasten the instrument to the mouth. Vassallo and colleagues believe the woman may have worn the bridge on her lower right incisors and canines, or as a replacement for her lost teeth. Read the original scholarly article about this research International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. To read more about the archeology of north-western Portugal, visit “Off the Grid: Citania de Briteiros, Portugal“
Post 19th century Portuguese dental bridge examined first appeared on archeology magazine.