Discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) and robots being everywhere are… well, everywhere. Trying to handle AI and its rapid development has put politicians in a tizz, divided the opinions of the horrendously wealthy, and left millions questioning when they’ll be replaced by a robot at work. 

If you’re not sick to the back teeth of hearing about AI, then stick around. Because I’m about to go full dental nerd and wax lyrical about AI in dentistry—its uses and its limitations.  

Dentistry: An industry built on innovation

We know a lot more about oral health and how to care for teeth and gums today than we did in the 1700s when dentistry became a defined profession. And it’s a profession that will continually evolve as we learn more about the body and how it’s adapting to modern living. 

Thankfully, the tools used to treat patients have improved exponentially from those used in the 1700s. Modern dentistry focuses heavily on patient comfort without sacrificing quality care. In the past 50 years, dentistry innovations have made treatment easier, faster, and (most importantly) as convenient as possible for patients. 

And digital dentistry is a good example of this. 

CAD/CAM (computer-aided design / computer-aided manufacturing) technology and digital scanning systems arrived in the 1980s, providing faster and cleaner dental treatment methods. And these advances have been warmly welcomed by patients. A 2019 survey confirmed this, finding that 95% of patients agree they receive better care with digital solutions.  

AI dentistry is the next step in better care

Dentists can use AI to improve your treatment experience in 4 ways: 

1. Diagnosis
2. Decision making
3. Treatment planning
4. Predicting the outcomes of treatment. 

Writing for Frontiers, Hao Ding from the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong predicts that ‘among all the AI applications in dentistry, the most popular one is diagnosis’. 

And I agree. 

The reliability and accuracy of these AI programs will only increase. Their assistance in diagnosing early-stage gum disease, and even some oral cancers, will become invaluable. And I’m certain that AI will eventually be able to spot things the naked eye and current scanners can’t see. 

Concerns that robots will take over

I used the word ‘assistance’ just before. And that’s worth noting. 

A recent study into patients’ perceptions and expectations regarding AI use in dentistry found the main concern was the impact AI would have on the workforce, with technology replacing professionals. But I can’t see this being a reality in the healthcare industry. Here’s why.

• The machines aren’t reliable enough to work alone. The expert, real-world eye and knowledge of a trained professional are still needed to check and double-check all AI-produced work.
• Treating health and medical conditions requires empathy, patience and understanding. And these could never be provided by a machine. 

Many industries that have already adopted AI understand that it’s just a tool. It’s there to assist the professional with their work, not replace them. By cutting down the amount of time dentists spend on necessary day-to-day tasks—analysing x-rays, responding to simple health-related queries, predicting treatment outcomes—we can increase our clinical time (more face-to-face time with patients) and complete treatments in shorter timeframes.  

AI dentistry in action. Current technologies and future possibilities

Dentists around the world are already embracing AI. In a few short years, it has prompted (some much-needed) industry-wide changes. And that’s exciting. 

Here are a few examples of how it’s being used to support dentists and patients, and what might be next. 

The Australian Dental Association (ADA) adopts an AI policy

The ADA’s AI policy only came into effect in 2020. It was a clear sign to the industry that the widespread adoption of this technology in Australian practices was just around the corner. 

Diagnostic assistance is already here

In 2021 the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved the use of US-developed AI software called Second Opinion®. An assistive tool for dental radiology (your x-rays), it looks at the images and can quickly detect tooth decay, infection and early signs of periapical radiolucency (an infection in a tooth, such as an abscess or cyst). 

Speeding up diagnostics like this means we can discuss the findings in the same appointment and, if any oral health challenges show up, start talking about possible treatment.  

Technology to improve dental implant treatment

The best way to ensure dental implant success is to make sure the implant is placed into a healthy mouth. This is currently done by taking x-rays and digital scans of your mouth, then carefully assessing them to decide what pre-implant treatment you need. This can take up to an hour of clinical time, plus 20-30 minutes discussing the results and options with a patient. Australian-led AI technology Eyes of AI is looking to improve on that.  

By viewing and diagnosing cone-beam-computed tomography (CBCT—the imaging machine that spins around your head), the Eyes of AI software transforms them into detailed, 3D models way faster than the traditional method. This makes it easier to:

• assess what pre-implant treatment is needed 
• make precise plans regarding where the implant is going into the jaw.

Combined, it speeds up the entire process.

Delivering instant smile makeovers

There’s an app for everything these days. So why not an app that can instantly show you how different cosmetic dental procedures will affect your smile? That’s what Presto Smile and Smile Cloud (the program we use) both do. 

Your dentist takes your photo (using a camera, iPad or even a phone) and then applies AI-generated examples of the dental work you’ve discussed, directly to your image. This gives you an instant visualisation of the potential outcome, and can make it easier to fine-tune your personal treatment plan. 

There’s been a global symposium on the subject

In 2023, the inaugural Global Symposium on AI and Dentistry was held at Harvard University. It attracted 300 attendees from 30 countries, with another 120 attending virtually. Sixty-five research projects were presented during the event, ranging in topics from new practical tools to assist day-to-day treatment to using AI to forecast global dental health as a result of climate change.  

AI dentistry offers greater freedom 

AI is speeding up treatment processes and times. And it delivers insights the naked eye and current technologies can’t. The result? More time with your dentist and early diagnoses. But as we’ve seen, these aren’t AI’s only benefits. 

The accuracy and clarity of the imaging AI can create will give the clinicians treating you greater confidence, even if they’re in a different city, country or continent. Reliable, detailed imaging will make it easier for practitioners to make good recommendations, even if they never see you face to face. As a patient, you gain greater freedom and flexibility. You suddenly have access to dental practitioners anywhere in the world.

What might this look like? 

Let’s say you found a specialist you really like, and you want their input on your treatment. Trouble is, they’re on the other side of the world. AI makes it possible for them to treat you. With the right AI program, they can create detailed, realistic and accurate 3D models of your mouth and jaw like never before. They can run through the treatment using augmented reality and predict the outcomes. So you may only need one trip to have them perform the procedure. 

Challenges and risks

There’s a lot to love about AI. But understanding its full potential is something even the most intelligent minds are still getting to grips with. And while most people and businesses are looking to use it for good, that’s not everyone’s intention. (Deepfake, anyone?)

When it comes to keeping people’s personal details and records of faces, there are (quite rightly) data protection concerns. Theft of such personal data could be catastrophic. 

Currently, any AI technology used in Australian healthcare must comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). This is similar to the American Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Both are in place to ensure patient privacy. 

As so many AI tools learn from existing material and need to be fed data, healthcare practitioners need to ensure:

• the tool or software removes any identifying information
• any data fed into it is well protected, and people can’t be identified.

It’s a big area of concern, and one reason why AI adoption in dentistry is slower compared to other industries. 

Another speed bump is the lack of big data. AI learns using huge datasets. And our industry is struggling to build the resources needed. 

Unlike hospitals or big medical organisations, dental practices are small, privately owned businesses with much smaller patient numbers. To create the data banks, Australian dentists would need to agree to centralise their data, creating a shared AI learning environment.    

The final challenge is accuracy. A lot of evidence supports AI’s talent to diagnose, predict and aid in successful dental treatment. But it’s early days. Truthfully, the machines are still leaning. The technology is still being refined. And all AI work should still be reviewed by a dentist. 

AI at Keppel Dental

Within a decade, dentists in Australia will inevitably be using the power of AI technology to assist with most treatments. At Keppel Dental, we already use Smilecloud and 3Shape Automate for treatment planning, smile design and crown design. Since introducing these technologies, we’ve noticed greater patient excitement regarding treatment outcomes, and designing crowns and bridges in the lab is faster. 

For us, working in an industry that embraces innovation and ways to make treatment simpler and more comfortable feels positive. But how do you feel about AI playing a supporting role when it comes to your oral health care? Let us know by answering our question in this post.

Turning the idea of getting full-mouth (All on 4, or Ao4) dental implants into reality can take months, if not years. Taking the time to plan and save up for the procedure is part of the journey. And when it comes to how much you’ll need to save, well… that depends on where you go for your treatment.  

Dental practitioners in Australia set costs that reflect:

• their location
• their experience
• the price of the materials they use. 

So when you see one fee that’s several thousand dollars less than another, why wouldn’t you choose the more affordable option? 

I completely get it. But (and there’s nearly always a ‘but’) there’s a recurring theme I hear from patients who have chosen the more affordable All on 4 option. 

The cheaper treatment didn’t save them as much as they thought it would.

There are a number of reasons why people end up feeling this way, which I’ll get into later. But right now, I want to share some of their general concerns and experiences so you can make a fair call on whether travelling intrastate, interstate or internationally will leave you and your oral health better off. 

How much All on 4 treatment costs in Australia

Dental practices in Australia are independent, private businesses. And like any independent business, each practice sets its own fees. So the cost of getting full mouth dental implants in Australia varies widely from practice to practice and state to state.

Using data from the latest ADA fees survey from 2022, the lowest cost for full mouth implants is $19,311 and the highest is $52,312. That’s quite a range.

To help us understand All on 4 fees—and the costs of other common dental work—the Australian Dental Association (ADA) runs a fee survey every few years. This gives us the lowest and highest dental costs in Australia for different treatments, as well as the mean fee for each one. 

Using data from the latest ADA fees survey from 2022, we’ve worked out that the lowest cost for full-mouth implants is $19,311.54 and the highest is $52,312.52. (Here’s how we got to these figures.) That’s quite a range. And these figures account only for the cost of the components and procedures most commonly needed for Ao4 treatment. These include:

• a comprehensive exam (intraoral x-rays and/or OPG, CBCT scan, photos and digital modelling)
• pre-treatment consultation
• surgery to place the 4-6 implants needed
• the final bridge.

Keppel Dental sits somewhere in the middle. We charge $25,000 for an upper or lower arch. But this is just an estimate. Your treatment may be more or less depending on:

• how many x-rays you need 
• any extra consultations you need before or after treatment
• whether you need additional surgical procedures such as
  • tooth extraction 
  • bone grafting 
  • a sinus lift 
  • gum grafting
• whether you need a temporary bridge or arch.

If you already know how full-mouth implants are fitted, you’d probably expect to see these items on your treatment bill. But the path to getting dental implants isn’t the same for everyone.

Personal treatment plans are essential to understanding the total cost of full-mouth dental implants. And 6 factors affect the fee.

1. Your current oral health. Implant success relies on a healthy mouth and gums. Any signs of poor mouth health (inflamed or bleeding gums, cavities, etc.) must be addressed first.
2. Extra dental work. This could involve extracting existing teeth to make room for your implants, a sinus lift for top-tooth implants, or a lower jaw bone graft for bottom-tooth implants.
3. The number of implants being fitted. This will depend on whether you’re having a full arch, partial bridge, just the top, just the bottom, or implants in both top and bottom.
4. Implant size and placement. Implants come in different lengths and diameters. The size of the implant depends on the amount of bone available and the distance between the teeth.
5. The implant’s manufacturer. Australia has several dental implant manufacturers. And each company delivers its own take on implants. Some invest more in research and manufacturing than others, which leads to higher quality at a higher price.
6. The location and experience of your dentist. The practice’s overheads and the dentist’s ongoing specialist training to keep up with changing technologies may be reflected in the price of implants and other services.

Travelling for implant treatment packs its own costs 

Where you go for treatment is an important cost comparison factor. Whether it’s in the city or the country, in Australia or overseas, the size of the economy the practice is working in affects how much the dentist charges. 

For example, dentists working in countries with smaller economies won’t have the same overheads as those operating in larger ones. This is why you can often get lower rates by travelling to one of Australia’s major cities or trying overseas dental tourism. 

But this doesn’t always work out well for patients. While the cost of the treatment itself may be lower, there are additional charges and potential challenges you need to consider. 

Travelling there, back, and possibly there again (and again)

It takes multiple appointments to properly complete full-mouth implant treatment. Even if your first consultations aren’t face-to-face, and records and x-rays are forwarded on, you’ll still need at least two trips. And that’s assuming yours is a simple case (i.e. you don’t need any extra dental work before implants, and you don’t have any complications afterwards). 

So when budgeting for these locations, factor in multiple airfares and airport parking. You may also need to budget for taxis or car hire to get around. 

Sorting somewhere to stay 

Lobbing in with family or friends who live near your chosen practice is ideal. Being somewhere familiar can make recovery more comfortable, not to mention the extra TLC you’ll get if you’re feeling below par afterwards. 

But if staying with someone you know isn’t an option, you’ll need to find a hotel or apartment. It’s always worth asking the practice’s client care coordinator if they offer an accommodation subsidy. Practices that want to attract out-of-town patients commonly have arrangements with local hotels, motels and apartments. Using these offers will save you money, but you’ll be limited to the accommodation options they’ve partnered with. 

Arranging time off work 

You’ll probably need to use some of your work leave, particularly on the day of your treatment, as it’s not advisable to travel long distances or fly that day. 

Most people feel well enough to travel and return to work the day after surgery. However, you might want to add a bit of buffer time to account for:

• any stumbling blocks with your treatment 
• you feel worse than you expected 
• you encounter travel delays.

The big one: getting post-treatment care

If an implant is doomed to fail, it will happen in the 24-72 hours after treatment. Ideally, you want to be close to your dentist so you can see them quickly. 

Patients who travel for treatment and return home quickly afterwards struggle with this. They may have to wait days or even weeks before seeing their practitioner again, by which time the implant is lost. It’s usually at this point that these patients come to me, needing help with one or more of these common dental implant complaints. 

• They’re experiencing discomfort in their mouth.
• The implants feel tight or sore.
• They’ve noticed the implanted teeth are coming loose.
• At least one implant has fallen out. 

Travelling back to see their original practitioner is no longer an option. They didn’t account for the extra cost or time needed, and they can’t see the dentist until a much later date. This can leave patients feeling lost and confused about what to do. 

I can’t emphasise enough how important the post-care treatment stage is. It shouldn’t be overlooked. And from my experience, patients feel confident and secure when they know their dentist is an hour or less away. 

Delivering full-mouth dental implant treatment and care in Central Queensland

Getting dental implants isn’t something you decide on a whim. Treatment costs, expected outcomes and time needed all need to be understood, evaluated and planned for before hitting ‘Go’. 

Whether you’re at the start of your dental implant journey or ready to take the next step, Keppel Dental can help. Using the latest digital dentistry technologies and high-quality dental implant products, we can deliver the best dental implant care possible for patients in Central Queensland and beyond.

For all the details about organising your treatment with us, head over to our dedicated (and highly-detailed) All on 4 service page. 

Working out the cost of All on 4 treatment in Australia

To calculate the costs of Aon4 treatment in Australia, we used the ADA Fee Survey from 2022. But as this treatment has so many variables, we created a simple case scenario.

• The patient is having an implant bridge to replace 14 teeth.
• They’re having 6 implants/abutments, meaning 8 pontics for bridging.
• They need 4 teeth removed using line item 311 only. (The other 2 teeth where the implants will go were previously removed due to decay.)

Using the lowest, highest and mean cost of each line item in the ADA Fee Survey, we then calculated a cost range.

Note: These aren’t perfect numbers, as the fee survey didn’t include fees for some services often associated with Ao4 implants such as:

• CBCT scan
• extra photos and digital modelling offered (depending on the available technology within the practice)
• bone grafting
• sinus lift
• gum grafting.

A while back I was nerding out to a non-dental industry friend about the progress of dentistry technology. He was impressed that we can mill crowns using a 3D printer, take highly detailed mouth scans in minutes, and use AI dentistry to plan and predict entire treatment plans.

Once I’d finished my spiel, he said with bemusement and an exasperated expletive or two, “Yet every day, we’re still using a bit of string to clean our teeth.” He had a point.

Water flossers have hit the mainstream thanks to social media influencers and some nifty design refinements. And although they look like a much-needed evolution in flossing, here’s the surprising thing: water flossers have been around since the 70s. I didn’t have the heart to break this news to my friend.

Flossing is fantastic for your teeth

Given that you got here by searching for water flossers and how they work, you’re probably already sold on the benefits of flossing. But in case you’re still on the fence, here’s a reminder.

Flossing cleans tooth surfaces that brushes can’t reach, helping to remove food and break down plaque-building bacteria. If food and bacteria aren’t regularly cleaned away, a sticky, fuzzy film can form, leading to gingivitis or, in serious cases, periodontal disease.

The latest research from the Australian Dental Association (ADA) has found that using string floss and brushing reduces the risk of periodontal diseases by up to 50%. We’ll reveal how this stacks up against water flossers in a minute.

What are water flossers and how do they work?

A water flosser is a cordless, electric, handheld device. Its mission—like any flossing device—is to clean between the teeth and along the gumline.

To use a water flosser, start by filling the tank or reservoir with warm water. (Bathroom tap water is fine.)

Next, attach the nozzle that’s best suited for your mouth. There are ones designed specifically for cleaning around braces and bridges for example.

Turn it on and a steady stream of water jets out of the nozzle. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your specific flosser on how you should move it around your mouth. This will give you the best results. As you point it at each tooth, the gentle water pressure will remove any food and plaque that may be lingering after you’ve brushed.

In short, think of water flossers as a pressure washer for your teeth.

Figuring out all the water flosser features

Every brand of water flosser has its own design. You may have heard of the WaterPik, widely regarded as effective and easy to use. However, large oral health brands, such as Oral B and Colgate, have their versions, too. (Even Kmart is getting in on the water flosser trend.)

It’s worth researching the different features of each water flosser to help you choose the one that’ll work best for you. Or, if you’re seeing your dentist or OHT before buying one, chat with them about which options are most practical for you.

Features you’ll commonly see mentioned in product descriptions or reviews include:

• the number of speeds, power settings, or cleaning modes
• the size of the tank and how much cleaning time this provides
• the recharging system, battery power, and total run time
• whether it’s waterproof (for use in the shower)
• its dimensions and weight
• what it’s made from.

Some write-ups may also include details about how quiet (or noisy) the flosser is, and how easy it is to clean. Product information like this can make the difference between you using a flosser or leaving it in the drawer. After all, who wants to buy an item that’s supposed to make their life easier, only to find it makes things messier and more complicated?

Reasons to start using a water flosser

There are three main reasons why you might want to start using a water flosser, or why your dentist recommends using one.

You have dental implants, crowns or braces

Traditional flossing with string might not be possible if your mouth is healing from a surgical dental procedure, such as dental implants, or you’re undergoing orthodontic work. A water flosser offers a gentler way to clean gums and provides more flexibility for cleaning behind wires and gaps.

You find manual flossing difficult

Health conditions and dexterity challenges may mean using string or interdental brushes is just too fiddly. The larger handle and body of a water flosser make it easier to move the small nozzle around the mouth.

You find dental floss uncomfortable to use

Flossing with dental string shouldn’t feel uncomfortable when you do it correctly. But that’s not everyone’s reality. For people with sensitive gums, perhaps due to medications or treatments or long-term poor oral hygiene, a water flosser can offer a gentler, more comfortable way to clean between the teeth.

Are bleeding gums a reason to switch to a water flosser?

Not necessarily. The early warning signs of a gum infection can look the same as poor flossing technique—sore gums, sensitive gums and teeth, and bleeding when brushing or flossing. If you experience this, consider booking an appointment with your dentist to get a proper diagnosis.

If it turns out that you do have gum disease or periodontal disease, then your dentist may recommend using a water flosser until it clears up. This can feel more comfortable without sacrificing your oral hygiene.

How effective are water flossers compared to string floss?

We looked at two studies into whether a water flosser is more effective than string.
The first is a small clinical study that compared the amount of plaque cleaned from teeth when using string and a manual toothbrush versus using a water flosser and manual toothbrush. The results found that cleaning with a water flosser and a manual toothbrush is 29% more effective than using waxy floss string and a manual toothbrush.

The second study was conducted by leading water flosser brand, WaterPik. Their 4-week clinical trial found that brushing and water flossing was 52% better at reducing gingivitis than traditional dental floss.

But in fact, it shouldn’t be about a competition or choosing one method over the other.

Improve oral health by combining traditional flossing and water flossing

Unless there’s a medical reason for not using string floss—you’ve suffered mouth trauma or have dexterity challenges—most dentists (ourselves included) wouldn’t recommend abandoning string floss.

The current thinking among dentists in Australia is that a combined approach will serve you best.

1. Use a string floss first to remove food and break down plaque-building bacteria that are lingering around the teeth.
2. Brush your teeth to give them a good clean.
3. Finish with a gentle water floss to remove any last remaining bits that your toothbrush couldn’t reach.

Ready to revolutionise your oral health care?

The best way to work out if a water flosser is right for you is to talk to your dentist or oral health therapist at your next appointment. They may have experience or knowledge of the best water flossers and can point you towards a device that will best suit your needs.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for more information about how to improve your at-home oral health routine, you may find these articles helpful.

The best foods for healthy teeth and gums

Get into a routine of brushing your teeth

Your teeth are important. And I don’t just mean right now. They’ll continue to be important long after… well, you know.

And it may sound odd, but your teeth can help future generations understand how we lived, what we ate, the work we did, and even how we moved around as a people.

That’s because teeth and jawbones are the most commonly found fossils. They’re found more often than skulls and other bones. The tough enamel that covers teeth (along with their calcium properties) helps them stand the test of time. And so archaeologists and anthropologists rely on them to piece together the stories of our ancestors.

Fossilised and well-preserved teeth have helped historians better understand human evolution, early migration, health practices, early dentistry, and even the roles of men and women. What they discover sometimes challenges what we previously assumed about people of the past.

6 times teeth have helped rewrite history

I’m a modern dentist who absolutely nerds out over the latest industry technologies and what the future holds (such as AI dentistry). But it’s also fascinating to understand how these little bits of bone and calcium can tell us so much about the past. And with the development of non-invasive virtual anthropology, it’s fascinating to see the old and the modern world collide.

With that said, here are just 6 tooth-led discoveries that have made us rethink the lives of people from civilisations that are long gone.

1. The evolution of pregnancy

Birth. It’s hard, messy, painful and exhausting. (Or so I’m told.) Humans definitely haven’t evolved to make this part of the lifecycle effortless. In fact, evidence suggests the opposite may be true: the smarter we got, the harder we made it for ourselves.

What’s been found: It took 6 million years for the size of the prenatal human skull and brain to increase, arriving at the current human-like gestational growth rates about half a million to a million years ago. And this increase in brain size correlates with when our human ancestors started using more tools. As we got smarter our brains grew. And as we developed in the womb our heads got bigger.

Who made the finding: Western Washington University paleoanthropologist Tesla Monson.

How teeth helped: Permanent adult teeth develop in the second trimester. Using data collected from fossilised molars and skill fragments of primates that lived from 6 million to 12,000 years ago, Monson and her colleagues compared the changes in proportions over time. This helped them track the prenatal growth rate of the brain, and identify when evolutionary changes in the size of the head and brain actually happened.

Read more about it: Teeth tell the story

2. When the plague arrived in Britain

Britain’s worst outbreak of the Bubonic Plague was in 1348. But the bacteria responsible for The Black Death made its way to the island long before that.

What’s been found: Two children aged between 10 and 12, and one woman aged between 35 and 40, proved the plague was present in Britain long before 1348. The cases date back 4,000 years. And while it wasn’t the cause of their deaths, all three people were carrying Yersinia pestis – the bacteria responsible for the plague.

The discovery was made in 2023. And up to that point this strain of plague bacteria was only evident in Eurasia. This new finding helps researchers better understand the movement of infectious diseases between people, and how this strain of Yersinia pestis could pass from person to person without the help of fleas.

Who made the finding: Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, working with the University of Oxford and local history and museum groups.

How teeth helped: DNA can be trapped inside the dental pulp within a tooth. By drilling into the teeth and extracting some of the pulp, they were able to analyse it and identify the plague bacteria.

Read more about it: 4,000-year-old plague DNA found

3. Dental implants aren’t a new idea

If you lose a tooth today, it can be replaced with a dental implant made of titanium capped with a strong zirconia crown.

However, these materials only came into use in the 1970s and 2010s respectively. But teeth were being replaced with something synthetic long before then.

What’s been found: Evidence was discovered showing pre-Mayan tribesmen were replacing missing teeth with jade, stone or shell. And while the materials are a bit rough and ready by today’s standards, astoundingly there’s evidence of the jaw bone fusing to the implant—something that’s still part of the treatment process today.

Archaeology teams have also found evidence of tooth inlays. Ancient Mayan dentists fixed precious stones such as jade to teeth by expertly drilling a hole into the tooth and securing them using a super-strong, plant-based adhesive. (So strong that it could last 4,000 years.)

Originally, it was presumed that only high-standing members of society would have these inlays. But further research found this wasn’t the case. People considered poor also showed signs of undergoing the treatment. The current thinking is that the jade inlays were used to repair tooth decay. Analysis of the adhesive shows it included medicinal plants that reduce inflammation and fight infection.

Who made the findings: Dr Colvard at the University of Illinois in Chicago, and Gloria Hernandez-Bolio from Cinvestav in Mexico.

How teeth helped: Teeth were at the root of these studies, and were looked at using CT analysis and x-rays. Researchers got a better view of how the implants and inlays were fixed to the teeth, what they were made of, and what organic ingredients were used.

Read more about it: What ancient teeth can tell us about humanity’s past and Ancient Maya practice of gluing gemstones onto teeth may have been for more than bling.

4. Challenging what’s known about early migration

Getting around wasn’t always as easy as hopping into the car or catching a plane. So significant movement of ancient people across continents, and understanding why or how they got there, is a big deal.

What’s been found: A baby tooth found in a cave in France suggests that modern humans arrived in Western Europe 10,000 years earlier than originally thought. What’s also interesting is the evidence of Neanderthals existing in the same area, and even in the same cave. It could well be that the two peoples lived side by side in this part of Europe for quite some time.

Who made the findings: Paleoanthropologist Ludovic Slimak for the French National Centre for Scientific Research.

How teeth helped: The cave, called Grotte Mandrin, has been an archaeological site since the 1990s. Only 9 teeth have been found during that time, with the baby tooth appearing in the same sediment layer as tools made using flint-knapping techniques. This helped them date the tooth and rethink when modern humans arrived in western Europe.

Read more about it: Discovery of ancient baby tooth (or the original research and findings).

5. How women worked and contributed to ancient societies

Here’s a crazy thought: Before 1907, our dentist Dr Lyndsey Browne wouldn’t have been able to practise as a registered dentist in Queensland because she’s a woman. Progress towards workplace equality is an ongoing battle in some (if not most) industries. But evidence from the past suggests societies were more progressive in their thinking towards women and work than some stereotypes would have us believe.

What’s been found: Two separate studies show women holding roles in society previously considered ‘men’s work’. Study number one concluded that women in Ancient Egypt were working as craft specialists, creating high-quality goods. This challenges the notion that only 7 professions were open to women: priestess, musician, singer, dancer, mourner, weaver and midwife.

Study number 2 comes from anthropologists in Britain telling the story of a medieval German woman. By looking at her teeth, they confidently stated that women were working in the publishing industry producing books and manuscripts. Quite a revelation considering how long people thought only males and monks worked on texts from this time.

Who made the findings: Nancy Lovell and Kimberley Palichuk of the University of Alberta made the Ancient Egyptian discovery, while Anita Radini and colleagues discovered women’s contribution to medieval literature.

How teeth helped: An elaborate burial convinced Lovell and Palichuk to spend more time with the business woman from Ancient Egypt. Upon closer inspection, they noticed unusual wear and tear to her teeth. The markings didn’t align with a lifetime of simply chewing food.

By analysing abrasions and the shape of her teeth, they believe she was working with papyrus, running the material through her teeth as she made her wares.

Over in Britain, it was the discovery of lapis lazuli in fossilised dental plaque that caught the attention of researchers. At the time, this material was highly valued as much (if not more so) than gold. Working with it was reserved for the skilled and educated as they created intricate artwork on manuscripts. The amount of blue pigment found in her plaque led Radini and her colleagues to conclude the woman was likely an artist who used her lips to shape the brush.

Read more about it: Archaeologists discover a new profession in an ancient Egyptian woman’s teeth and We found lapis lazuli hidden in ancient teeth – revealing the forgotten role of women in medieval art.

6. Different diets for different genders

Periodontitis (a serious form of gum disease) is higher in adult Australian men than adult Australian women (35% and 26% respectively). Diet and lifestyle habits may play a role in this, but we’re not the first culture to experience gender differences when it comes to oral health.

What’s been found: Men and women living in ancient Sudan had very different diets. They may even have been eating foods that were prepared in different ways (although why it happened is yet to be explained).

Who made the findings: Rebecca Whiting for The British Museum.

How teeth helped: Focusing on remains from ancient Sudan (6,000BC to 1,500AD), Whiting studied the changes in dental and gum disease and noticed differences between male and female remains. The teeth, gums and jaws from the females showed more signs of gum disease, abscesses, tooth loss and dental wear compared to those of the males.

Read more about it: Ancient wisdom: what tooth decay can tell us about the past.

What stories will our teeth tell?

Anthropologists and archaeologists of the future should have an easy time understanding our way of life. We can document and capture the way we live in ways ancient civilisations couldn’t have even dreamed of.

But what if all that was lost? What if the experts of the future had to piece together the past in the same way current historians have done? What might the anthropologist and archaeologists say about the way we lived by looking at our teeth?

Perhaps they’d be interested in how or why we moved from using materials such as gold and silver for fillings to a resin composite.

They may look at our teeth and gums and wonder how modern living affected our oral health. With trends such as fixing gemstones, mouth piercings, and vaping and smoking all changing the condition of teeth, mouths and overall oral health, it’s an interesting one to think about.