What would you do if you had toothache, in a world of pre-modern dentistry? Those of us who have suffered a weekend of it can probably imagine (in the end) getting a friend to pull the tooth out with pliers. But what if the tooth was absessed? Or impacted? An impacted wisdom tooth growing sideways underneath the other ones? Can one imagine cutting into the gum - no X-rays to tell you where to cut, of course - and levering it out, very probably bit by bit? Anyone who has had this done under modern conditions will not like to think about such treatment under premodern conditions: but then, what was the alternative? Some of the root-rotted teeth found in archaeological excavations make one wonder whether it was possible to die just from pain. The thought casts a new light on the side-remark of Chaucer's Northern student in the Reeve's Tale: 'Oure maunciple, I hope he will be deed, Swa werkes ay the wanges in his heed' - I expect he'll die, the teeth in his head hurt so continuously.

LRB 7 December 1989 | PDF Download