Is it true people didn't used to need dentists?

[pearl]

I just wonder sometimes how many people lived their lives with massive toothaches, because I doubt I personally would have ever resorted to frying my roots, regardless of what age I lived in.

There's always the 'story' of George Washington and his wooden teeth.
Unfortunately, too many people today go without dental care because they simply can not afford it, especially kids.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

This was the article I read... I just don't believe it. I think it's a fabrication.

For hundreds of thousands of years, humans did not brush their teeth. Why do we brush them now?

That's wrong. Toothbrushes of various sorts have been around for thousands of years. Personal hygiene isn't something new.

Who invented the toothbrush and when was it? (Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress)

Toothpaste is very ancient, too: Toothpaste - Wikipedia

So the ancients did brush their teeth as good as they could and had all the tooth problems that we do today.

 

[ChristineM]

Which seems strange to me, because I was under the impression that primates evolved out of the tropics, eating things probably similar to bananas, mangoes and tree fruits, which are very sugary.

You'd think we would be better adapted to a sugary diet by now.

Thought!! It got me thinking. I am guessing that tooth damage is progressive and the worst does not manifest itself until after reproduction age so nothing really to evolve.

Note, bananas (and melons) are not too bad, a fairly high ph level