Aztec Dentistry

Knowledge & Language

100

In what form did the Aztecs record/write down events? 

No, they wrote in glyphs and pictographs

200

How did the Aztecs pass down their knowledge?

Orally

300

What language did the Aztecs speak?

Nahuatl

400

What document depicts the founding of Tenochtitlan (city where Aztecs lived)?

Codex Mendoza 

Innovations

100

Name one tool used for the cleaning of teeth (not toothbrush/toothpick/or toothpaste)?

Bow Drill, Feather Quills, Cactus Spines 

200

What are dental inlays?

They were materials added to a tooth after decay had been cleaned or when an upper-class citizen wished for more aesthetic teeth. 

300

Name one adhesive used for dental inlays? (Hint: there are 2 - one is a color and one is a plant) 

Liquid Amber, Maguey Plant 

400

Double Jeopardy for both answers: 

1. From what root was the toothbrush derived (hint: the divine root)? 

2. What material is quauhteputztli? 

1. Tlatlauh(e)capatli

2. Bark 

Techniques

100

Name one material they would use to prep a tooth for removal? 

Vinegar, snake venom 

200

Use of saline solution? (Its use remains the same today)

Prevent infection after a dental procedure 

300

What was used as a preventative to pain during a procedure? 

Chewing on hot chilli peppers

400

What material was used to prevent tooth decay (Hint: very popular today)?

Gum