The Ancient Myth of the Tooth Worm
There have been many different ancient theories behind oral problems but one of my personal favorites has to be the tooth worm. Many different cultures around the world used to believe that a worm that either spontaneously appearing or burrowing into the tooth. That tooth worm was what caused toothaches and other oral pains. When the worm was thrashing around, the tooth hurt. When the worm was still, the tooth did not hurt.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the tooth worm belief is that many cultures held it. Most of those cultures had not had contact with each other either so each came to the belief on their own. Because of that fact, the tooth worm was said to look different depending upon where you were. In England, the tooth worm held the appearance of an eel. In Germany, the tooth worm was compared to a maggot in shape and size but could be red, blue, or gray. Ancient individuals also tried a variety of treatments for eradicating the tooth worm, many of which are described here.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10522185
R. Eric Emery, DDS
Morgan A. Emery, DDS
Smile Station Dental
2901 Dougherty Ferry Rd, Suite 400
St. Louis, MO 63122
(314)821-7100
smilestationdental.com
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