The laborers were preparing commercial space at a building in downtown Valdosta when they found approximately 1,000 teeth buried into a second-floor wall, the Valdosta Daily Times reported.
A photo of the discovery at the T.B. Converse Building has been shared more than 1,500 times on Facebook as of midnight Thursday.
Dustin Merriman, project manager for Converse, told the newspaper that the teeth have been removed and disposed.
So why are there teeth in the walls?
According to Harry Evans, researcher for the Lowndes County Historical Society and Museum, the building's first tenant in 1900 was Clarence Whittington, a dentist. Another dentist, Lester G. Youmans, came to Valdosta in 1911 and remained a tenant in the building until at least 1930, Evans told the Daily Times.
A receipt, retrieved recently by Valdosta dentist Pat Powell from an antique store, shows a receipt for a tooth extraction from Dr. L.G. Youmans dated June 12, 1928, Powell told the newspaper.
Ellen Hill, the director of Valdosta Main Street, said two other Georgia cities -- Carrolton and Greensboro -- had buildings where teeth were embedded into the wall, the Daily Times reported. Both buildings were former dental offices, she told the newspaper.
“I’m not sure if it was a common practice between dentists at that time, but it’s very strange that there were two other people that said, ‘Hey, we’ve had that happen, too,’” Hill said.
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