What Medieval Teeth Can Still Teach Us About Oral Health
Our hygienists spend a lot of time talking to patients about plaque. Most people know it’s something they should be removing, but it’s often seen as a fairly minor issue unless it starts causing obvious problems.
What’s interesting is that plaque has been following us around for much longer than modern dentistry has existed.
Recent research featured in Discover Magazine has shown that hardened dental plaque taken from medieval skeletons can reveal detailed information about what people were eating hundreds of years ago. By analysing calcified plaque, researchers were able to identify traces of specific foods that hadn’t been picked up using other methods.
It’s a strange thing to think about, but plaque has been quietly recording everyday habits for centuries.
Plaque doesn’t forget
When plaque isn’t removed properly, it hardens into what we call calculus. From a dental point of view, that’s something we actively try to prevent. From a scientific point of view, though, it turns out to be incredibly useful.
As plaque builds up, it traps small particles from daily life. Food compounds, bacteria and environmental material all get sealed in as it hardens. In medieval remains studied by researchers, this calculus preserved chemical traces of foods like millet — foods that hadn’t shown up clearly when scientists examined bones alone.
That discovery has changed how researchers think about medieval diets. Rather than being basic or repetitive, they now appear to have been more varied and shaped by local conditions.
All of that information was sitting on people’s teeth.
Why this still matters in a modern dental setting
In clinic, plaque is something we deal with every day. It forms naturally in the mouth and tends to build up along the teeth and gums, particularly in areas that are difficult to clean properly at home.
Left alone, plaque doesn’t just stay where it is. The bacteria within it produce acids that damage enamel and irritate the gums. Over time, this can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. Once plaque hardens into calculus, it can no longer be removed with brushing and flossing alone.
The medieval examples show what happens when plaque is never properly managed. The difference today is that we don’t have to accept that outcome.
Prevention makes the difference
Modern dentistry works on a different basis. Rather than waiting for plaque to cause damage and then fixing the results, the focus is on keeping it under control from the start.
Most patients do a good job with brushing and flossing, but even with a solid routine, some areas are easy to miss. Plaque often builds up below the gumline and around the back teeth, where access is limited. That’s usually where we first start to see signs of gum inflammation.
Professional hygiene appointments allow plaque and calculus to be removed from these areas safely and thoroughly. This helps reduce inflammation, allows the gums to settle, and lowers the risk of more serious problems developing later on.
This preventative approach underpins the work we carry out at Norfolk Dental Specialists.
When plaque starts to cause problems
If plaque isn’t controlled over time, it can contribute to periodontal disease. This is a condition we see regularly, and one that often develops quietly, without pain in the early stages.
Periodontal disease affects the supporting structures around the teeth, including the bone. Once bone loss begins, it can’t be reversed, which is why early intervention matters. Specialist periodontal treatment focuses on stopping the condition from progressing and preserving teeth for as long as possible.
Where teeth have already been lost, treatments such as dental implants can help patients chew comfortably again and feel more confident about their smile. From a hygiene point of view, their long-term success still comes back to the same basics. Healthy gums and good plaque control matter just as much around implants as they do around natural teeth.
A quiet reminder from the past
The fact that plaque can still be studied hundreds of years later is interesting, but in practice it mainly reinforces what we already see in clinic.
Plaque forms whether you notice it or not, and it doesn’t take long to build up if certain areas are being missed. What’s different now is that problems can be spotted early and dealt with before they start affecting the gums or the bone underneath.
Regular check-ups and professional cleaning help keep plaque under control, especially in areas that are difficult to reach at home. When care is picked up early, it’s usually straightforward to manage. When it isn’t, the knock-on effects tend to be much harder to put right later on.
Looking after your oral health today
At Norfolk Dental Specialists, patient care is based on understanding what’s happening in each individual mouth and responding accordingly. Hygiene, periodontal care and restorative treatments all work together, with long-term stability as the aim.
Plaque may be useful to historians looking backwards, but in everyday life it’s something best kept under control.
With the right routine and the right professional support, it doesn’t need to become a problem at all.