Before the radiocarbon date, before the DNA, before any of the sophisticated modern analysis — there was the tooth itself, and what it said about the child who had carried it.

Human teeth develop in a sequence that is calibrated against age in ways that are well-documented through study of both modern populations and archaeological samples.

Deciduous teeth — the primary or baby teeth that children carry before the permanent teeth emerge — develop in a specific order and at specific developmental stages that can be identified from the physical characteristics of the tooth itself.

The tooth recovered from Trail Creek Cave 2 is a deciduous maxillary left central incisor.