Why Did This Wealthy Scotsman Pay a Jeweler to Wrap His Teeth in Gold Wire Hundreds of Years Ago?

Dittmar, J., Crozier, R., Cameron, A. et al., British Dental Journal, 2026 Researchers have identified Scotland’s oldest dental bridge, and it’s rather flashy. The twisted piece of wire, attached to the jaw of a man from the late medieval or early modern period, is made of 20-karat gold. According to a study recently published in the British Dental Journal, the bridge was drawn between the man’s lower front teeth, either securing a loose incisor or holding a false tooth in its place.

The mandible in question was found two decades ago, during an archaeological excavation at St. Nicholas Kirk, an 11th- or 12th-century church in Aberdeen, Scotland. In 2006, ahead of construction, excavators pulled out about 900 human skeletons and nearly four tons of loose bones. Recently, the remains have been reassessed, “as part of a larger research project focused on temporal health trends throughout Scotland,” per the study.

Out of 100 assessed remains from the early modern period, only one had clear evidence of dental work. The man who donned the device died between 1460 and 1670 C.E. His mandible is about 70 percent complete, with nine attached teeth. Four other teeth detached after death, one was lost before death, and the researchers aren’t sure whether the wisdom teeth ever developed. From the jawbone and teeth’s development, traits and wear patterns, the researchers concluded the deceased was an adult male who died in middle age.