The nefarious Tooth Worm lives in the teeth and causes toothache by chewing the gums or the inside of a tooth. This evil worm and its kin are ravenous for tooth blood. They're well known to doctors of ancient Mesopotamia.
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Belief in the tooth worm persists into the 18th century CE. In ancient times, medical records show depictions of the tooth worms and include banishment spells or tooth worm exorcism incantations.
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The tooth worm is thought to cause cavities, tooth pain, toothache or infection, rotten teeth and periodontitis or gum disease. Bleeding gums are caused by the tooth worm in its voracious consumption of tooth blood.
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Various visuals of tooth pulp when the tooth is extracted suggest the presence of worms to physicians. In the image at top the toothworms are actively partying with evil intent. The tooth worm can be removed by a doctor skilled in the art of natural and supernatural health.
Mesopotamians of the ancient world are highly spiritual and perceive the world around them as multi-tiered, connected to nature and natural elements. They have a strong belief in the Underworld, disease demons and medicine goddesses who can be called upon for help.
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At least three types of doctor might treat a patient. One is the diviner, or baru (bārû), who learns about the illness or key influences from animal entrails. The baru discovers the type of ailment suffered and the demon causing it.
Another is the objective healer, asu, who uses materials from nature and techniques proven to work based on past results. The third type of doctors are the exorcists. They're rarely engaged for the removal of tooth worms.
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Sometimes the work of doctors and priests overlap. In ancient Mesopotamia, the ašipu (āšipu, mašmaššu or exorcists) can act as priests. They interact with the occult. Scholars of diagnosis and treatment, together with the asu and baru they're in practice by c. 3200 BCE.
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The occupation of dentist or scope of dentistry is part of the doctor's sphere of knowledge at first. The first acknowledged dentist in history is Hesy-Re, an Egyptian scribe in c. 2600 BCE.
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The legend of the toothworm goes back to the time of mythological creation. An early Babylonian cuneiform tablet, "The Legend of the Worm", recounts how the tooth worm drinks the blood, eats the roots of the teeth and causes caries and periodontitis:
"After Anu creates heaven, heaven creates Earth. In turn Earth creates the rivers. The rivers create the canals. The canals create the marsh and the marsh creates the worm.
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"I shall give thee the ripe fig and the apricot."
"Of what use are they to me, the ripe fig and the apricot? Lift me up and among the teeth and gums let me dwell! The blood of the tooth I will suck, and of the gum I will gnaw its roots!"
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For some reason the gods go along with this demand. It may be because, when humans are first created, they need a few tweaks. One of these is give them a shorter lifespan, so they don't overpopulate the lands.
Similarly the gods introduce diseases. If humans become too strong, they begin to think of themselves as gods. Diseases help control the population and keep humans humble. The tooth worm is only one annoyance sent by the gods to the people.
A charm against the tooth worm comes from Sri Lanka:
Ira deyené asyā!
Sanda deyené aeyā!
Passé Buduné acyā!
Daté nositoo dat aeyā!
Translation:
Worm of the sun-god!
Worm of the moon god!
Worm of the Past Buddha!
Stay not in the tooth, thou tooth-worm!
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This incantation is recited with vigor by the doctor while pulling out the worm-ridden tooth. From gravesite and other findings, it's evident tooth extractions are common in ancient Mesopotamia. Such treatment of the tooth worm is usually successful.
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