It was early in the Han Dynasty that filling dental caries with amalgam was invented by Zhang Zhongjing(张仲景Zhāng Zhòngjǐng), a famous doctor at that time. Professional doctors engaged in denture articulation(the aspect of pronunciation that involves bringing articulatory organs together so as to shape the sounds of speech) appeared in the Song Dynasty. Many materials were used to make artificial teeth in ancient times, including ivory, cattle bone and solid sandalwood(檀香tánxiāng).

In addition to practical functions, artificial teeth could also be used to decorate and show off. There was a kind of artificial teeth named “tooth bridge” which was a soft golden wire tied to teeth and placed in mouth for pure decoration purpose, without the function of mastication(when you masticate food, you chew it).