Welcome to another one of those interesting Bible questions. Does the Bible say anything about dental care? Job did say, “My breath is offensive to my wife” (Job:19:17), so we know they had their moments of bad breath problems. Did they have toothbrushes to brush their teeth with like we do today?
(Proverbs 25:19) says that confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint. With the mentioning of a bad tooth in this Scripture, it gets you to thinking, what did they do when they had a tooth problem? Today we have dentists readily available for toothaches, cavities, and any number of other dental problems. Who are what did they have?
God Is A Dentist?
In (Psalm 81:10) it says, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” Aside from this bit of dentistry humor, the Bible offers no information as to how they took care of their teeth problems. However, we can look at some outside sources to find out how these things were dealt with.
Dental Care In Bible Times
Research indicates there have been treatments for toothaches, infections, and other teeth and gum problems throughout history. From the Egyptians to the Romans, both biblical groups of people, we find writings about dentists and dental care.
An Egyptian named Hesy-Re was possibly the earliest known dentist. One of his titles was believed by some to be “Great One of The Dentists.” It is also noted in writings that Egyptians would bind together replacement teeth with gold wire. Roman medical writer Aulus Cornelius Celsus even wrote about dental treatments that involved narcotic type substances.
Toothbrushes and Toothpaste
The Egyptians and Romans made toothbrushes out of twigs and leaves. It may not have been the soft bristled kind that modern toothbrushes offer us today, but they did at least have toothbrushes.
What did they use for toothpaste? The Egyptians created a tooth powder, which was made of powdered ashes of ox hooves, myrrh, burnt eggshells, and pumice. The Romans had similar improved recipes that contained crushed bones and oyster shells. Again, maybe it wasn’t the modern fluoride toothpaste we have today, but at least they had toothpaste.
Give Me That Old Time Mouthwash
We can wrap up our biblical dental care program with a little mouthwash from the Greek and Roman periods. Mouth washing became a common practice of the upper-class during this time. Mouthwash mixtures would include salt, alum, and vinegar.
