{"id":27342,"date":"2026-01-10T08:36:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T00:36:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=27342"},"modified":"2026-01-10T08:36:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T00:36:35","slug":"reflections-how-ancient-chinese-dental-practices-were-often-similar-to-those-used-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=27342","title":{"rendered":"Reflections | How ancient Chinese dental practices were often similar to those used today"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.i-scmp.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/1280x720\/public\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/01\/07\/c29d8e6d-ddfa-4842-85c5-da88d1890a27_87a25784.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">I welcomed the new year with a new crown \u2013 a dental one, that is. A routine check-up in late 2025 revealed fine cracks in one of my molars, which called for prompt intervention.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">First came the filing and reshaping of the damaged tooth, accomplished with a tool that produces my least favourite sound, but amplified and reverberating quite literally inside my head.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">A digital scan was then taken and sent to a laboratory, where the permanent crown would be fabricated. In the interim, a temporary crown was glued on to protect what had become a rude stump of a tooth.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">At the follow-up visit, the dentist cemented the final crown in place, restoring both function and appearance. I was given strict instructions to abandon the habit that had probably caused the damage in the first place: gnawing on hard nuts and ice cubes. Unless, of course, I fancied more frequent visits to the dentist and the renewed trauma of his tiny power tool shaving bits off my teeth.<\/p>\n<p datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1c6uqr6 ec74h0k1\">Ancient China\u2019s approach to oral health was not so much the dreadful whine of a dentist\u2019s drill but salt water, twigs and an assortment of curious implements and mixtures. Long before fluoridated toothpaste and electric toothbrushes, both elites and commoners addressed dental problems with considerable ingenuity.<\/p>\n<div datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1xdhyk6 ec74h0k0\">The earliest records show that tooth decay is hardly a modern affliction. The character for cavities found on <span data-qa=\"Component-Text\" class=\"css-0 ef9u0v00\">Shang dynasty<\/span> (1600BC-1046BC) <span data-qa=\"Component-Text\" class=\"css-0 ef9u0v00\">oracle bones<\/span> depicts a tooth with a small worm inside \u2013 a vivid, if inaccurate, explanation for a condition that still plagues us today.<\/div>\n<div datatype=\"p\" data-qa=\"Component-Component\" class=\"e8zc9q40 css-1xdhyk6 ec74h0k0\">Archaeological finds from the tombs of figures such as Cao Cao (155-220) and the <span data-qa=\"Component-Text\" class=\"css-0 ef9u0v00\">Ming dynasty<\/span>\u2019s Wanli Emperor (1563-1620) reveal that even the most powerful in China\u2019s past suffered from severe decay, gum disease and other dental ailments.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/lifestyle\/chinese-culture\/article\/3339020\/how-ancient-chinese-dental-practices-were-often-similar-those-used-today?utm_source=rss_feed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I welcomed the new year with a new crown \u2013 a dental one, that is. A routine check-up in late 2025 revealed fine cracks in&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[5434,107,516,12118,5433,12695,155],"class_list":["post-27342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bored-interesting","tag-ancient","tag-chinese","tag-dental","tag-practices","tag-reflections","tag-similar","tag-today","wpcat-33-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}