Builders make disturbing find inside wall during renovation

Construction workers renovating an old building in the US state of Georgia have discovered an estimated thousand teeth tucked in one of the walls.

While the builders preparing the commercial space in downtown Valdosta were caught off guard by the find, it’s not the first time it’s occurred recently.

Main Street Director Ellen Hill says teeth also have been found in the walls of former dentist offices in Greensboro and Carrolton.

What do all three buildings have in common? They were all once dentist’s offices.

Historical Society researcher Harry Evans says the Valdosta building was constructed in 1900, and its first tenant was a dentist named Clarence Whittington.

He says it later housed another dentist named Lester G. Youmans until at least 1930.

Valdosta police say they haven’t found evidence of a crime. Project manager Dustin Merriman says the crew disposed of the teeth.

Several theories, all of which are unproven, have emerged as to how and why dentists would dispose of such teeth by fitting them in a wall.

One of which suggests the non-existent sanitation and waste management services left them with few alternatives.

Consideration was also given to the public health implications that apply to throwing rotten teeth into a standard rubbish pile, given the bacteria on rotting teeth can be dangerous.

Another more obscure theory is that storing teeth in the walls was a form of tradition.