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Archeological evidence for dental caries is common, even in the Neolithic, and primitive dental drilling is believed to be extant as far back as 7000 BC. The notion that there was no tooth decay before widespread use of sugar is a myth, unfortunately. Any carbohydrate can lead to tooth decay, and as humans have consumed fruit in large quantities since prehistory it stands to reason we'd experience cavities during that time.
Also older grain preparation techniques often left a fair amount of grit in food there was also a mechanical aspect of tooth damage occurring which is largely absent now.
However, there is an observable and large spike in tooth decay when sugar becomes available in Europe, so in that you are correct in assuming our teeth were in better shape before, but not necessarily good shape.
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