ABSTRACT
Author's research has shown that no culture prior to the Etruscans of the first millennium bce ever attempted any sort of dental interventions, even when simple extraction of an infected tooth might have saved a life. It may seem odd that the long-standing Etruscan tradition- although confined to the very affluent or ruling classes- did not continue under the Roman rule of Italy. The wire appliances appear to be following the dictates of the Greek and Roman medical authors, and some seem to have been worn by men. Vice Magazine reporter Lauren Schwartzberg (2014) gives a comprehensive and carefully researched survey of the background of the modern gold phenomenon. During the 1980s gold inlays and removable tooth covers began to come into fashion in the entertainment world, and then spread among the teenage emulators of rock, hip-hop and rap stars.
