{"id":231,"date":"2025-03-21T15:53:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T15:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/?p=231"},"modified":"2025-05-13T16:42:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T16:42:16","slug":"teeth-and-what-they-tell-archaeologists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/21\/teeth-and-what-they-tell-archaeologists\/","title":{"rendered":"Dental Digging: What Archaeologists Will Say About Your Teeth One Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AdobeStock_248666603__1747146748_61052.jpg\" alt=\"up-close view of a person\u2019s teeth\" class=\"wp-image-232\" style=\"width:297px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AdobeStock_248666603__1747146748_61052.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AdobeStock_248666603__1747146748_61052-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AdobeStock_248666603__1747146748_61052-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Archaeologists have an important job in studying fossil remains. While most people envision these professionals digging up dinosaur bones, others focus on human remains, particularly the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/dental-services.html\">teeth<\/a> of those who existed hundreds of years ago. Keep reading to find out what these experts can learn by studying a person\u2019s pearly whites and how they lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Teeth Can Reveal About a Person<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s no secret that your teeth are uniquely yours. This is why forensic experts use dental records to identify human remains. But what exactly can be determined when looking at a person\u2019s teeth? The following are just a few of the many details that are commonly discovered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>A person\u2019s age<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A person\u2019s diet<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Whether the individual had cavities or tooth wear and tear<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unique patterns of dental disease<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tooth eruption and tooth loss<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Recent Studies Suggest About Ancestral Teeth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>According to a 2023 study by the University of Nottingham, researchers discovered that ancient teeth could preserve antibodies for hundreds of years. The purpose of these proteins is to combat infectious diseases \u2013 a historical component that experts can now study in an attempt to better understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The project involved extracting antibodies from 800-year-old human teeth. It was found that they were not only stable but could also recognize proteins commonly generated by a virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means that researchers can learn more about how these antibodies interact with various diseases that once existed during a specific period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hundreds of years from now, the same is likely to be true of your teeth. When archaeologists look at the dental footprint you leave behind, the antibodies found in your pearly whites may provide a clearer understanding of how they responded to viruses like COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a reason that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">teeth<\/a> remain such a fascinating topic among dental professionals and archaeological experts. Their story reveals much about the human condition and how the smallest details can have a lasting impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Author<\/strong><br>Dr. Alison Fitzgerald brings nearly 15 years of experience to our dental office in Tucson. After graduating from the Creighton School of Dentistry with her dental degree, she pursued advanced training and coursework with Partners in Synergy, the Kois Center, Progressive Orthodontics, and the American Orthodontic Society. Her range of experience allows her to treat patients of all ages. If you need help to take better care of your smile and want to inquire about preventive treatment, visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/contact.html\">website<\/a> or call <strong>(520) 338-2980<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Archaeologists have an important job in studying fossil remains. While most people envision these professionals digging up dinosaur bones, others focus on human remains, particularly the teeth of those who existed hundreds of years ago. Keep reading to find out what these experts can learn by studying a person\u2019s pearly whites and how they lived.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Teeth | Archaeological Findings | Sweet Smiles Family Dentistry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Did you know teeth are just one of the many things archaeologists study? Find out what yours will one day say about you.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/21\/teeth-and-what-they-tell-archaeologists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Teeth | Archaeological Findings | Sweet Smiles Family Dentistry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you know teeth are just one of the many things archaeologists study? Find out what yours will one day say about you.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/21\/teeth-and-what-they-tell-archaeologists\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sweet Smiles Family Dentistry and Orthodontics Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-21T15:53:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-13T16:42:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AdobeStock_248666603__1747146748_61052.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dr. Fitzgerald\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dr. Fitzgerald\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/21\/teeth-and-what-they-tell-archaeologists\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/21\/teeth-and-what-they-tell-archaeologists\/\",\"name\":\"Teeth | Archaeological Findings | Sweet Smiles Family Dentistry\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/21\/teeth-and-what-they-tell-archaeologists\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/2025\/03\/21\/teeth-and-what-they-tell-archaeologists\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/AdobeStock_248666603__1747146748_61052.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-21T15:53:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-13T16:42:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sweetsmilestucson.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/9948cbd57afeaff3509aa11e16793a14\"},\"description\":\"Did you know teeth are just one of the many things archaeologists study? 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