Archaeologists Discover 17th-century Frenchwoman’s Gold Dental Work, Looked Torturous to her Teeth

A striking discovery of 17th-century dental work, using gold wires to hold jostled teeth into place, has put in perspective the lengths aristocratic women went to maintain social status, according to the Journal of Archaeological Science. The remains of Anne d'Alègre, a French noblewoman who lived from 1565 to 1619, have yielded a remarkable insight into sophisticated dental procedures: fine gold wiring and an ivory prosthetic tooth.

The finding came from the re-examination of d'Alègre's remains, which were first excavated during archaeological digs at the Chateau de Laval in northeastern France in 1988. Her body, embalmed and enclosed in a lead coffin, gave the researchers an exceptionally well-preserved specimen of early dental intervention techniques. The head of the research team, Rozenn Colleter, along with her team from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research, INRAP, applied three-dimensional X-ray scanning technology to the dental work of d'Alègre in unprecedented detail. "This is an innovative treatment," Colleter said, describing how the gold wires had been delicately wrapped around the bottom of d'Alègre's teeth near the gums, with some teeth even pierced to accommodate the wiring, according to Live Science.

The study showed evidence that d'Alègre had severe periodontal disease indicated by her really loose teeth, and she had therefore been treated in an attempt to avoid losing the dentition completely with what was leading edge dental technology at the time: gold wire ligatures with an artificial tooth made out of elephant ivory instead of the more typical hippopotamus ivory of the period. The reason d'Alègre likely put herself through such agony was due to the pressures of being a member of the 17th-century French aristocracy. A socialite and twice a widow, moving within the intricate hierarchy of the time required one to maintain an appealing appearance. "Beyond a medical treatment, the objective was certainly aesthetic and especially societal," said Colleter, according to Archaeology News.

Her dental problems could have reflected the tremendous amount of stress that she endured for most of her life. The persecution of being a Protestant during the French Wars of Religion was a great persecution for d'Alègre. Before she turned 21, she was widowed and had to flee from Catholic forces during the Eighth War of Religion, during which her property was seized. Personal tragedy came again when her son Guy was killed in battle in Hungary at the age of 20. Though innovative for the period, the dental intervention eventually became counterproductive. This, however, had the unwanted effect of loosening her remaining teeth due to the constant need to retighten the gold wires, thus aggravating her original condition.

Sharon DeWitte, a biological anthropologist at the University of South Carolina who was not involved in the study, echoed the importance of these findings. "The authors have rich historical evidence to contextualize their analysis," she said, adding that such findings help further the understanding of how past populations balanced health risks against cultural or societal needs, as per Archaeology News.