### 2 Ancient Egyptian dentistry used primitive materials but had similar methods > a dentist who could stabilize a loose tooth or fill a cavity, the material used probably tasted downright horrible. If you were lower-class to middle-class, you might be lucky to have the tooth packed with linen that was dipped in cedar oil or fig juice to keep the pain at bay and keep infection to a minimum. If you were at the mercy of a more skilled dentist, you might find yourself with [something similar to a modern composite filling](https://books.google.com/books?id=kmgW9kCwiWwC&pg=PA12&lpg=PA12&dq=Ebers+Papyrus+dentistry+yellow+ochre&source=bl&ots=Yq_vmeOZ8K&sig=ACfU3U1XxBnSjTw45wsABumpT5P3F7f1sA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwir393yiI7kAhVNWqwKHRbsABgQ6AEwGnoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=Ebers%20Papyrus%20dentistry%20yellow%20ochre&f=false), except instead of high-tech materials it would be made of ground barley as the bulk or filler, honey as a binder and antibiotic, and a pigment that also served as an antiseptic, yellow ochre. > > Instead of being able to mold a perfect fit like we can now, dentists in ancient Egypt had to hope the lost tooth from the person was still viable. If not, they would find a donor tooth. Imagine having someone else’s lost tooth in your mouth permanently! The dentists would drill a hole in the teeth and wire them to the surrounding teeth using gold or silver wire meant to hold up. - [[How Would Your Teeth Fare in Ancient Egypt#2 Ancient Egyptian dentistry used primitive materials but had similar methods|View in Vault]]