Reinterpretation of a Phoenician dental appliance.

Background Since its discovery in 1862, the Gaillardot Phoenician gold wire dental bridge (Louvre artefact no. 5,777) has been the subject of conflicting interpretations as to its correct situation in the jaws, the origin of replaced teeth, and the possibility of teeth having been rearranged within the appliance.Methods This paper offers an analysis based on examination and digital macrophotography of the appliance at the Louvre.