Your teeth are like a flock of sheep coming up from the washing. Each has its twin, not one of them is missing. – Song of Songs 6:6

Today's Scripture Reading (December 4, 2022): Song of Songs 6

If you play a physical sport, wearing a mouthguard is important. I have to laugh every time I watch Matthew Tkachuk, currently playing with the Florida Panthers, skating down the ice and chewing on his mouthguard. His mom has commented that she would prefer it if he would keep it in his mouth, performing the task for rich it was designed; protecting the teeth of the player. Hockey is one sport where a mouthguard should always be worn, and interviewing several National Hockey League players following a game proves why. If you come across them when they are out in the community, their teeth might look beautiful. But during a game, when their partials are not in their mouths, their smiles show the reality of how many teeth are missing. Some players have opted for implants that are always in their mouths, but not all have chosen this option, although I would suspect that most players will have at least a few implants installed in their mouths when their hockey careers are over.

Traditionally in our culture, older people and those living in backward areas of the country are often portrayed with missing teeth. And in fiction, witches are often depicted with warts on their noses and missing teeth in their mouths. But I suspect that more people, even in younger age groups, are missing some teeth, but those missing teeth are carefully hidden from our view.

Proper treatment and protection of teeth were priorities in the ancient world. Very early on, humanity discovered that if we were going to keep our teeth, we would have to care for them. But even then, dental health was hard, and the methods used to fix sick teeth were often barbaric.

Eventually, we discovered ways of making false teeth, and maybe one of the earliest solutions for missing teeth was the invention of wooden teeth that were shaped to imitate the original teeth of the person. George Washington has been famously said to have worn wooden teeth, but that rumor is actually false. George Washington wore false teeth, but he had enough money to own something better than wooden ones. The dentures, uppers and lowers, that the toothless first American President wore were made of a combination of human teeth and cow teeth, taken from deceased people and animals, and elephant Ivory. They probably resembled real teeth better than anything that could have been made out of wood.

Solomon remarks about the beautiful features of his bride. And when he comes to his bride's teeth, he remarks that they are like a flock of sheep coming out of the water after receiving a washing and that every tooth has its twin. The intention is that her teeth are white, something that false teeth of the time would never be, and that none of her teeth were missing. In a society where not everyone could make that statement and wearing false teeth were often very obvious, this was an important beauty consideration that seemed to please Solomon.

  Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 7