10 Ancient Body Modification Practices

Modifying or decorating teeth has also been seen around the world. In the 7th century BC, Etruscan women may have used flat gold bands on their front teeth for decorative purposes in addition to holding teeth in place.

Marco Polo noted in 1295 AD that people in Karbandan, China, covered their teeth with thin plates of gold perfectly fitted to their teeth.

In Mesoamerica it was common for people to file their teeth into alternative shapes, often using stone tools. Later they started drilling holes into the front of their teeth and filling them with small stones, commonly minerals such as jade or iron pyrite.

Vikings also joined the trend, as large groups from England and Sweden have been discovered with horizontal grooves etched in to the front of their teeth. These grooves may have been filled in with a red dye and were potentially created in order to look more fearsome as they have, so far, only been found on warriors.