Humans have been repairing teeth almost as long as they have been suffering from dental ailments. Since the beginning of recorded history, gold has been used to repair or augment teeth, and various herbal or mineral treatments are described in ancient texts. Recently, archaeologists excavating in Slovenia found evidence of dental fillings in a mandible nearly 6500 years old.
Previous discoveries in Pakistan and Egypt indicate that Neolithic people might have fabricated artificial teeth out of ivory and bone, but new evidence indicates that people of this era rather might have used a filling material to relieve pain and potentially reduce the stress on fractured or eroded teeth.
Nicknamed "the Lonche Jaw," the specimen was collected and radiocarbon dated by researchers working from the Italian National Museum of Prehistoric Ethnography. Close examination revealed extensive wear on certain teeth, which researchers attribute to non-alimentary use. The wear pattern is consistent with holding abrasive thread in the mouth while weaving, a common source of dental damage in that period. One of these heavily-worn teeth appeared to have been filled with something, the first evidence of a filling-based dental treatment in that era.
Researchers carefully collected a small sample of the material and subjected it to infrared spectroscopic analysis. The material, which researchers determined had been applied shortly before or after the death of the individual, turned out to perfectly match the absorbance spectrum of beeswax, and had probably been used to protect the exposed dentin from temperature changes and pressure if applied while the patient was still alive.
If this is the case, it will be the earliest instance of a dental filling material being used to repair or ease the pain of a damaged tooth.
Sources:
Bernardini, F., Tuniz, C., Coppa, A., Mancini, L., Dreossi, D., Eichert, D., . . . Levchenko, V. Beeswax as Dental Filling on a Neolithic Human Tooth. PLoS ONE, 7(9). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0044904
History of Dentistry Timeline. Retrieved May 19, 2016, from http://www.ada.org/en/about-the-ada/ada-history-and-presidents-of-the-ada/ada-history-of-dentistry-timeline
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