Page 3 - Reading Success B6

False teeth are at least as old as the Etruscans, the rulers of central Italy before
the Romans. Human skulls with false teeth carved from bone and ivory and with

gold bridgework have been discovered dating back to 700 B.C. But for centuries,
the dental skills of the Etruscans were forgotten, and generations of men and

women suffered pain from toothaches. Also, they looked old before their time
because their cheeks were sunken in from losing their teeth. When England’s

Queen Elizabeth I lost her front teeth, she turned to stuffing layers of cloth under
her lips to fill out her face.

For many years, medieval frauds preserved the myth that worms in the gums
caused toothache and decay, and often performed their “treatment” and

extractions without anesthetic. Usually, a clown capered and gestured to keep the
crowds amused, while an assistant held down the patient and the fraud yanked

out the teeth. Sometimes, an assistant would bang a drum to drown out the cries
of agony .

By the end of the 17 century, crude dentures , hand carved in ivory, were
th
available to the rich. The mouth was usually measured with compasses, and

individual false teeth were tied to their neighbors with silk threads. Full sets for the
lower jaw were made, but top sets were difficult to keep in place. As the demand

for new teeth increased, the poor would often sell their teeth to the rich to buy food
and clothing. But some of the wealthier members of the English court

commissioned ornamental teeth in silver, gold, or agate.

Main Idea

What is the main idea of this story?

a. the history of false teeth

b. the price of false teeth
c. the procedure of making false teeth

d. the popularity of false teeth among young people

6_Reading Success B 6