Researchers have long wondered about the mysterious flat patches they found on the teeth of Ice Age Europeans. These dental ...

But there was a big difference: the flat spots on the Pavlovian teeth were on the sides facing the cheek, not the tops. In studying the flat spots, Willman became convinced they were caused by wear.

Buccal or cheek surfaces are the sides of teeth that face the inside of the cheek. “The enamel wear on cheek surfaces struck me as very similar to the wear caused by labrets and other facial ...