The ancient Maya believed their breath was a link to the divine, and would sometimes decorate their teeth with gemstones. An analysis of the sealant used to hold these jewels in place suggests it may have had therapeutic properties.
The ancient Maya believed their breath was a link to the divine. To purify it, many people filed, notched, and polished their teeth, some even decorating them with gemstones. Now, a fresh analysis suggests the sealant used to hold these jewels in place may have had therapeutic properties, which could have helped prevent infections.
During the Classic period , many lowland Maya people in what is now Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico affixed colored stones such as jade, turquoise, and pyrite to the front of their teeth. Maya dentists drilled holes into the enamel and dentine, then fit the stones and applied a sealant, usually as part of a rite of passage to adulthood.: More than half of such modified teeth from archaeological digs still have their stone inlays intact.
So Gloria Hernández Bolio, a biochemist at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico, and colleagues analyzed the sealants in eight teeth found in burial sites across the Maya empire. They used two techniques: One distinguishes groups of organic compounds based on the amount of light they absorb; the other separates chemical mixtures using heat, before counting individual molecules.
. Each sample had a binding component like plant resin or gum, which have also been used for their water-repelling and gluelike properties since antiquity. Statistical analysis revealed the sealants could be separated into four groups based on that location, suggesting local practitioners each had their own recipes. The mixtures appear to have been well thought out, Hernández Bolio says. “Each ingredient has a specific task.”.
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