The study posits that these piercings -- which could have been placed as early as childhood -- would have been undertaken as a means of showing membership to a particular group.

When we think about the people of the Paleolithic age, many of us tend to picture a primitive fight for survival. Their lives are often depicted simply as a search for food and shelter, bereft of any sense of self or concept of the collective (outside of as a means of protection).

But that narrow lens can prevent us not just from generally understanding humanity's ancestors better, but from being able to correctly interpret specific archaeological and anthropological findings. Now, a recent study -- published in the Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology and reported on by Live Science -- serves as an example of why it's important to step out of those limiting preconceptions when considering the past.

As Live Science notes, the presence of flat patches on the teeth of some Paleolithic Europeans belonging to a group known as the Pavlovians has "puzzled archaeologists for centuries." It was a mystery that similarly intrigued biological anthropologist John Willman of the University of Coimbra in Portugal. "There was a long history of discussion of the strange wear on the canines and cheek teeth of these individuals," Willman told Live Science, "but no one really knew what caused the wear."

The wearing down of tooth enamel is a completely normal experience, and happens as a result of typical actions like chewing. However, the damage done to these ancient teeth was on the cheek side of the tooth -- not the chewing surface. What could have caused such distinct damage?

The theory Willman settled on looked outside of eating, and indeed, beyond the sphere of actions undertaken merely for survival. Instead, Willman's hypothesis hinges on an accoutrement that can be found everywhere from hunter-gatherer tribes to heavy metal concerts.

In Willman's estimation, the dental damage was done by labrets -- what we would now refer to as cheek piercings.

Willman's study involved analyzing dozens of Pavlovian skulls. To date, no labrets -- a term that originates from the Latin word for "lip" and can apply to either cheek or lower lip piercings -- have been found with any of the Pavlovian remains, though it's possible that's because they were made from an organic material like wood or leather that would have decomposed over time.

As such, Willman's research had to rely on studying the manner in which the teeth had been distorted. "Getting your first labret seemed to have occurred in childhood, since wear is documented in some baby teeth," Willman said. Per Live Science, Willman found that adults appeared to have a "higher degree of cheek-region enamel wear across more teeth than kids did," which could suggest an increase in labret size over time.

While considered safe, labrets can cause tooth and gum damage in instances where proper care isn't taken in placement or care. Willman saw evidence of this in some of the skulls he observed: "Some individuals have dental crowding, which I interpreted as an effect of having labrets resting against the teeth for long periods of time."

But while these oral adornments didn't have any direct application to survival in the individual sense, to Willman, they appear to suggest a sense of community and perhaps even an act of self-expression. "In the case of the Pavlovians, having labrets seems to be related to belonging to the group," Willman noted.

As for the manner in which the tooth damage appeared to vary between individuals, Willman suggests that "may relate to individual choice, different life experiences that 'earn' labrets during life, like going through puberty or marriage."