The 59,000-year-old molar was drilled out to ease the pain of infection The ancient molar was found in the Chagyrskaya Cave in Siberia. It has been drilled out by a stone tool from the crown to near the roots. " data-large-file="https://www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/051326_TM_neandertal_neandertaldentistry.jpg?w=800"> The ancient molar was found in the Chagyrskaya Cave in Siberia. It has been drilled out by a stone tool from the crown to near the roots. bova et al., 2026, PLOS One (CC-BY 4.0) An ancient human molar shows that Neandertals sometimes drilled out infected teeth with stone tools — suggesting they may have known the treatment could ease extreme tooth pain. The 59,000-year-old tooth was unearthed from the Chagyrskaya Cave in the Altai Mountains of Siberia. It is the oldest evidence of primitive dentistry ever found, eclipsing the old record by more than 40,000 years, researchers report in PLOS One .…