‘The Battle Of The Tooth Worm’ – Strange Ivory Carving

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - This is a depiction of the infamous tooth worm believed by many people in the past to bore holes in human teeth and cause toothaches.

It's an 18th-century ivory carving from Southern France known as 'The Tooth Worm as Hell's Demon.'

An unknown artist created two molar teeth 10.5 cm (4 inches) tall out of ivory, showing the infernal torments of a toothache depicted as a battle with the so-called 'tooth worm' complete with mini skulls, hellfire, and naked humans wielding clubs.

Many people do not understand today that before the advent of the current medical establishment, many ancient cultures had believed that worms were the cause of various illnesses and diseases such as tooth decay known as cavities today.

In fact, tooth worms have a long history, first appearing in a Sumerian text around 5,000 BC.

References to tooth worms can be found in China, Egypt, and India long before the belief finally takes root (pun intended) in Western Europe in the 8th century.

See also:

Ancient History Of Dentistry

For example, the Chinese believed worms in the teeth causing tooth decay and pain. They had several remedies that they employed successfully to kill these worms.

The ancient Babylonians had also believed that worms in the form of demons had caused diseases in people.

Updated on February 16, 2022

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

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