Bison Teeth

  Posted on November 7, 2014 By

 37 Comments

Bison-Jawbone

I just might be the only old woman who would buy a bison jawbone!

(Bison Occidentalis)

It is from the Pleistocene period

1,000 to 15,000 years old.

Found in the Kansas River Bed, Wyandocotthe County, Kansas.

It reminded me of a Viking ship.

Bison-Teeth

He appears to have had most of his teeth when he died.

They could have used a bit of dental cleaning, I suppose,

But so do mine every three months!

Bison-Teeth-top

I teased my dentist for thirty years about needing to keep my teeth until I died.

Well, I almost made it.  Until I broke a molar and split the root.

Now, I have a costly jawbone graft.

Perfectly healed and ready for the metal post implant on which the fake tooth is stuck.

Except that I figure it’s too much trouble since I won’t use it long anyway!

Chuckle…

Bison-jawbone-end

There is an expression in Texas about teeth.

That fellow’s got Summer Teeth!

(Translation: Some are there and some are not!)

Reckon I got Summer Teeth now too!

🙂

 Category: Animals, Photographs, Photography      Tags: , , , , ,

37 Comments on “Bison Teeth”

    • I don’t know how I missed replying to this, Adrian. I like the strangest stuff, I guess, but this thing appealed to me for some reason. The thought of the bison wandering around grazing so long ago fascinates me. Thanks, my friend! I am fine. I really am. 🙂

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    • Thanks for the visit, Alessandro! It is incredible to handle something that roamed the earth so long ago. I think most people would find it rather unattractive… But it fascinates me. Chuckle…

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  4. Summer teeth! I’ve never heard that one before. What a hoot. But honestly, you BOUGHT a bison jaw? How on earth could you afford such a thing? I would think something like that would be affordable only for very wealthy collectors. What great images.

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    • Well, I have an eclectic collection of stuff that probably wouldn’t appeal to most folks. I think Bison herds were as prevalent as common cattle are today. Naturally preserved bones are fairly common too, I think. Not a great many people probably want one! People who search for rocks and minerals find all sorts of things in old river beds. Lots of rock hounds flock to places in Texas to hunt those sorts of things too. I suppose we spend our money on whatever appeals to us. I don’t care for precious stones, but I love old stuff. My grandson is fascinated by geodes and minerals, so I found this jawbone at a rock and mineral show that we attended. Thanks, Linda!

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    • Well, Richard, I do wish I could give my bone graft to you so you could have the metal post and a tooth attached! Honestly, I was always fanatic about my teeth. I have crowns on a number of them because I insisted on it instead of replacement fillings years ago. I regard teeth as essential… Especially since you can see every tooth in my head when I smile! There is no way on earth I could keep dentures in my mouth! I’m certain they’d fly right out on the floor as much as I talk and laugh! My parents were fanatic about our visits to the dentist back when the drills were slow and painful and the dentists drilled holes for fillings that were outrageously big. I never had a cavity that I knew was there, but I had large fillings in my molars. Criminal, it was! I just decided not to go ahead with the mental post and the tooth since I don’t have long to live anyway. I can think of stuff to do that is far more fun than that! I have gotten accustomed to the absence of one tooth. I cannot imagine how people who have missing molars manage to chew! Chuckle… Hey, I eat as fast as I talk. I’d choke to death if I couldn’t chew fast! Get your teeth replaced, Richard. NOW. No new lens until you get a new tooth! Granny’s Order! 🙂

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    • Lynn, life is a continuum along which we move from birth to death. The ending begins with birth. We just don’t notice it. Change is subtle. We live to die, actually. And, hopefully, we live well and die well. We remain a part of the universe, you know….”Stardust” is how I describe it. I have never had a problem with my own mortality. As a geriatrics social worker, I saw lots of death and dying. There is nothing to fear about death. I am lucky that I have a wonderful family right next door who take very good care of me. My daughter was telling me this weekend that she really didn’t think I should buy the new Panther Chameleon since I have a veritable zoo here. I laughed about that. I will live until I die. My housekeeper will come to take care of the animals when I can no longer do it. It is good to know that your death is approaching so that you can make all of the arrangements that you need to make. And simply enjoy life. And I do enjoy life. My work here is finished. I have accomplished all that I set out to do. Now, the rest is just icing on the cake! You don’t lose your sense of humor simply with a diagnosis! Chuckle… Thank you for following along and for caring, Lynn!

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    • Ha-ha! I never heard anybody refer to his teeth as “plastic”! If I had plastic teeth, I’d chew them up like a dog with a bone. I have a tooth guard that I have to wear at night to keep from chewing up my own teeth! You ought to see the thing! It absolutely looks as if the dog has chewed on it! The dentist said the next one would have to be made of “a different material”. Now, I have some chompers!

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    • Ha-ha! I would give you my bone graft for a tooth implant if I could. Wonder if it could be harvested? Chuckle… It’s absolutely disgraceful what dental surgeons charge for those grafts. Then, you gotta’ buy the tooth too! No wonder so many people have Summer Teeth! I’m getting used to having one missing molar, but more than one and I couldn’t chew! 🙂

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    • Who? Me or the bison? Chuckle… I think she died young considering that she had all of her teeth, at least on that side! Thanks for stopping by, Switt! 🙂

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  10. This ancient set of dentures reminds me of what I learned about the horse, Equus. Did you know that ancestors of the modern horse originated on this continent, migrated to Europe across land bridges, and then died out here. It was only later that horses were re-introduced to North America in the 16th century by Cortez in Mexico. Wouldn’t it be a neat thing to be able to step back into time to see your Bison grazing the tall grass prairies of its ancient home? D

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    • I knew that. I read a fascinating book, “1491 (Second Edition): New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus” by Charles C. Mann. Lots of revelations for me, at least. Yes, it would be fascinating to be able to see all of the animals from thousands of years ago before we set out to destroy the planet!

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  11. Love the thought of those summer teeth! A fascinating aspect of the teeth in the third shot, I can’t stop looking, following all those tracks . . .

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    • I thought the same thing, Patti. The enamel apparently changes. The whole bone is not as heavy as you’d think it would be. I guess it loses its marrow or something. It is far more porous than it was when the bison used it! Chuckle… Thank you for stopping by, Patti! 🙂

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  13. What a fascinating artifact! It must be a great conversation piece. My dental hygienist would be horrified at the colour of those molars. 🙂 You should definitely get your new tooth put on. Your mouth will feel a lot better. xx

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    • Actually, I don’t think anybody ever commented on it. It isn’t prominently displayed anyway. My hygienist must be horrified by MY teeth. Chuckle… I have cleanings every three months since I smoke and drink coffee all day. I’ve gotten used to the absence of the tooth now. I cannot imagine how people manage without molars. I couldn’t chew if I had more than one missing! I never thought I would accept losing a tooth without replacing it. I did the hard part with the bone graft, but decided I was too busy to worry about the implant now. I have far more interesting things on my mind than a tooth at this stage of the game! Thanks, Sylvia! 🙂

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  14. oh i would want to have one of those as well!    am working on a skull series now!   the bison tooth wold fit in well! From: She Kept A Parrot To: tzeebra@yahoo.com Sent: Friday, November 7, 2014 1:17 PM Subject: [New post] Bison Teeth #yiv8704765032 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv8704765032 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv8704765032 a.yiv8704765032primaryactionlink:link, #yiv8704765032 a.yiv8704765032primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv8704765032 a.yiv8704765032primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv8704765032 a.yiv8704765032primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv8704765032 WordPress.com | George Weaver posted: “I just might be the only old woman who would buy a bison jawbone!(Bison Occidentalis)It is from the Pleistocene period1,000 to 15,000 years old.Found in the Kansas River Bed, Wyandocotthe County, Kansas.It reminded me of a Viking ship.He a” | |

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      • thanks so much! you are so unselfish and kind!

        presently i don’t have a reliable address but am working on it. i sent myself some items about six weeks ago in the usa and they still haven’t reached me. a friend sent a christmas card last year and it is still awol!

        thanks for the nudge, as i really need to find a reliable address – hard to believe that i live where mail and ups does not reach!

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  15. I thought it was a really interesting thing. It looks amazingly good, considering its age…..unfortunately, I can’t say the same for myself!!!

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