[EnderWiggin1970]

likely because the Pompeians ate a low-sugar diet, – less sugar equals less rotting teeth.

That makes sense. I have the general impression that the widespread availability of candy starting in the 19th century caused a calamitous decline in dental health, until tooth brushing and other dental care became a thing in the 20th century.

Peter Jackson created a fascinating documentary on WWI soldiers, They Shall Not Grow Old, that would seemingly have nothing to do with this topic. And yet when I saw it, it struck me as the best advertisement for modern dental care that one could imagine. It shows scene after scene of WWI soldiers of all ages whose mouths are in absolutely horrid shape. If I'd seen it as a kid it sure would have scared me straight into brushing religiously 3X/day.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks! Y’know, I think I’ve seen this and forgotten all about it. Didn’t he have a lip reader who constructed some of what was being said on the silent footage?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7905466/

[Flag_This]

"until tooth brushing and other dental care became a thing in the 20th century"

I remember reading an account of the American Civil War by a British military observer. I think it was Arthur Fremantle, but it was decades ago, so I'm not sure. One thing he observed and wrote about, which still sticks with me today, was the habit of many confederate soldiers to carry their toothbrushes stuck through a buttonhole on their lapels, like a boutonniere.

[The Truth Will Make You Free]

British death records show MANY entries for “teeth” in the 1600s and/or 1700s IIRC. At first, black teeth were a thing among the elite because only they could afford sugar.