19th Century Dental Instruments

So as I was going through my camera after visiting the Linnean Society in London, I completely forgot of the hundreds of gems (literal and non-literal) on display at the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons that I had documented. Now I present to you ... some of the most expensive and beautifully fashioned dental instruments ever created!

Set of dental instruments made of steel, mother of pearl and ivory
in a leatherette case (19th century).

Some particular items of note, however, were the great number of outdated dental instruments that are no longer used today. For instance, I came across the dental key, also known as the toothkey. Designed with the door key in mind, the dental key could be inserted horizontally into the mouth where a claw of sorts could be fitted over the tooth. Next, as you can imagine a key turning, the dental key could be turned to loosen tooth. Many cases in England have documented the fracturing of the tooth, fracturing of adjacent teeth, and fracturing of the jaw as a result of using the dental key. However, with the purpose of extracting teeth as a means of treating dental infections before the advent of antibiotics, the toothkey provided the best extraction technology of its time. The dental key, with continuously modified and improved designs, was used predominantly from the 18th through 19th centuries until the development and introduction of forceps.

Left: Vertical dental forceps made of steel
probably for removing small molars and pre molars (19th century).
Right: Modified form of a dental key made of ivory and steel,
probably used for removing molars (late 18th or early 19th century).

Below are photos of these quite exquisite 19th century dental instruments that were commonly used in England. Many are made of ivory and mother of pearl, which today would be rather expensive and - don't forget - illegal (oh the ivory!). Perhaps it was the British tradition, or perhaps it was just the norm in the 19th century to use such fine materials in constructing dental instruments of the Western world. Just take a look below -- don't these ornate instruments remind you of the gold and platinum dentures that were created specifically for Winston Churchill?

Dental instruments for filling and excavating teeth (19th century).

Set of instruments made of steel, silver, and mother of pearl
used for removing tartar from teeth (19th century).

Ivory, platinum, gold, mother of pearl ... mother of expenses!! Perhaps this is where the 'million dollar smile' originated. A great idea for my next idioms post!

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