A beautiful dental ivory tooth key with engraved crosshatching and concentric lines dating to the early or mid 19th century. This is almost certainly of English origin but it is not signed. The handle is made from elephant ivory (Schreger lines are clearly visible). The steel key itself detaches from the handle and can be rotated through 90 degrees allowing the dentist either to work with the other hand, or from different angles. There is a small chip at one end of the handle and a few hairline cracks in the ivory in keeping with its age but otherwise the instrument remains is in excellent condition. The handle is secured with a sprung steel catch which allows the shaft to click smoothly and firmly in place in each position, as does the sliding mechanism on the shaft which lowers a pin to secure the claw.