An X-ray taken of a 300-year-old statue of Jesus in Mexico shows that it contains human teeth.

The Lord of Patience statue had been sent in for restoration when specialists made the shocking discovery during an x-ray.

“We found that it has teeth that belonged to a human, we noticed it because the roots can perfectly be seen in the X-rays, and from its size we know they were from an adult,” Fanny Unikel, who led the restoration, told Reuters.

It is not uncommon for statues to have teeth and nails made out of animal bone, but real teeth were a first for the specialists.

Unikel believes a parishioner may have donated them as people often donated human hair and clothes to make statues look more realistic.

"It's a figure that tends to be very natural so it is not strange that someone had used these kind of teeth, if having access to them, but they are not a relic,” Unikel told Reuters.

The restored Jesus statue is currently housed at the San Bartolo Cuautlalpan Temple in Zumpango, just north of Mexico City.