Dental Antiques

General

Two old pages with beautifully ornate illustrations of dental surgery as practiced by Ottoman Turks in what may be the 15th Century. The first page is exquisitely gilded with gold leaf which the scanned pictures do little justice. It shows a dental surgeon wrestling to extract a tooth with  some form of dental forceps. The second shows the surgeon using a crude bowstring drill with other dental instruments laid at his feet.

Six delightful examples of late 19th C French flatware with a humorous depictions of the agonies of dental extraction done in fine artwork. Three of the plates are damaged and have had "museum repairs" but they are rare and very collectable pieces and remain a very attractive ensemble. They are numbered 1,2,3,6,10 and 11 and would have been part of a larger set. The inscriptions read:  "Quel courant d'air!!!"  "La nuit est assez agitée"  "Il se couche inquiet"  "Sur trois qui restent deau fendues et une gâtée"  "Cett fois c'est la bonne"  and  "C'a Y est!!!"

A late 16th century mouth gag. A similar instrument, Paré's mouth gag C 1570 from the Royal College of Surgeons of England is shown on page 212 of Elizabeth Bennion's "Antique Medical Instruments". The thread of the screw is reversed at its centre so that turning the fixed wing nuts opens or closes both handles at the same time. Having the fulcrum so close to the blades allowed considerable force to be applied through this mechanism. It would have been used to pry open the mouths of patients with lockjaw who might not otherwise be fed and would also have been used as a dental mouth gag. Note the heart shaped makers mark on one of the handles.

A French masticator to aid the chewing of food in the elderly and edentulous. This is a remarkably well put together instrument; the metal is steel and the handles are I think horn. The teeth are held together in the resting state by a sprung clip which secures the ends of the handles. Signed on the inside of one handle "Masticateur Carrier" and on the other "A Aubry Bd. St Michel 6. Paris Brevete". It packs away in a typically French etui. I doubt you will see a finer masticator.

A dental de-scaling set from the late 19th C complete with its original mirror lined with red and white trim. The mother of pearl handle screws onto seven different tools, the stems of which are decorated with a beaded design. The hinge and latches are firm and secure. There is a partitioning silk lined card which protects the mirror from the instruments.

An early 20th century dental file used to separate teeth. Works on a similar principle to a miniature hack saw but the teeth are very much finer and the length of the blade is only 30mm. Tightening the screw at the and of the handle pulls the blade taught or allows it to be loosened and removed. The handle is made from Bakelite. The instrument is signed with an unknown makers mark. The last picture shows a similar 19th century example with an ivory handle.

An early 19th century European dental mercury jar. It is made from horn; the bottom section from dark horn, the lid from light horn (the original cork has been replaced). Dimensions: 90 mm high 40 mm diameter. Amalgams of mercury with coin silver were first used in dentistry in 1819.

Oral Hygeine

Ivory Tortoise Shell Tongue Scraper

An unusual jointed ivory tongue scraper as seen in Benion's book on Antique Dental Instruments. You can see the craftman's "tricks of the trade where in order to prevent the ivory cracking when the strip is bent at over 90 degrees it was scored with parallel "Z" plasties.

A delicate mid 19th century ivory and tortoise shell tongue scraper. The ivory is  fixed to the tortoise shell with metal pins. No cracks chips or damage.

In Victorian times after a heavy night out it was common practice to clean the tongue with a tongue scraper. This example is made from a flexible band of tortoise-shell with ivory handles. In the resting position it is flat but would have been held between thumb and index finger of each hand and used in a U-shape. It is in perfect condition.

A good quality antique English ivory and silver tongue scraper. The silver is not hallmarked but the green colouring of the ivory handle was a practice which was typical of the period around the 1820s and 1830s.

A 19th century ivory toothpick case with gold inlaid border and gold hinges and release catch. There is a crack on the back hinge which is stable

A selection of antique and vintage toothpicks made from various metals including hallmarked silver and gold plate. There are different ways to extend the pick ranging from a manual sliding central rod to various ratchet mechanisms.

An antique figural ear scoop and toothpick in the form of a monk in his habit. It is made from hand carved horn and dates to the late 19th century. The head, ear scoop and toothpick are fastened by brass pins and rotate freely.

Dental Mirrors

A collection of three early to mid 19th century antique dental mirrors in the classic shape, all with convex mirrors. One in ivory, one in wood and the third in gilt brass.

A rare folding ivory dental mirror dating to 1830. This same type of mirror is illustrated on page 113 of Elisabeth Bennion's book 'Antique Dental Instruments' (taken from the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford)

An early 19th century dental mirror made from clear amber tortoise shell which is completely translucent without markings and is the rarest form of this material.

A 19th century dental mirror which moves freely in all directions on a pivot hinge and with a nicely turned bone handle.

A lovely dental mirror in ivory dating to circa 1850. The edge of the glass is beveled and looks as if it is lined in satin wood. The aside from minor age related changes the mirror is essentially unmarked and the ivory is in perfect condition.

An unmarked silver folding dental mirror. The silver is finely engraved Guilloché style. The border of the mirror is beveled in silver. On the centre of the back is an oval crest with a spread eagle between two crowns. Dimensions 110 mm extended, 30 mm x 60 mm folded.

Forceps

17th Century Italian Dental Forceps

A delightful pair of Italian dental forceps with the jaws made in the shape of an animal head. Dating to the 17th century these are identical to the forceps displayed in the Wellcome museum (see last photograph)

A pair of late 18th century French dental forceps for molar extractions. The unusual feature is the screw mechanism fixed to the inside of the handles which prevents the forceps closing beyond a given point and avoids fracturing the tooth. Similar forceps can be seen in the Museum of Swedish Dental Society in Stockholm (Elizabeth Bennion's "Antiques Dental Instruments" p51) and in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Antique Forged Steel Dental Forceps 

A fine pair of antique forged steel dental forceps from Brussels. The claw is shaped in the form of a beak and the handle decorated in a style in keeping with mid 18th century. The instrument is unsigned. Dimensions 150 mm long x 90 wide

A pair of 18th century forged steel dental forceps from Amsterdam. The piece is signed on the handle " Jacob ". Dimensions 140 mm x 15 (handle width) x 6 mm (bite)

A pair of 18th century forged steel dental forceps from Amsterdam. Unsigned. These are long but have a very narrow bite and may have been used for paediatric dentistry. Dimensions 145 mm x 12 (handle width) x 3 mm (bite)

A remarkable set of dental forceps by Sherwood of Cincinnati dating to 1850. The pivot of the forceps have been set each side with with a red coloured stone, either ruby or garnet. A similar type of forceps, but without jewels are shown by Arnold 1850 on page 60 in Bennion's 'Antique Dental Instruments'. The craftsmanship is superb with right and left sided forceps built and ornately engraved to the highest standard. Bejeweled dental tools are exceptionally rare and occasionally seen in the presentation sets with ivory handles. This is the first example I have seen of jewels set in a steel instrument

Forceps similar to a pair from 1948 by CH Dubs shown on page 59 in Bennion's 'Antique Dental Instruments' and displayed in the Macauley Museum of Dental History S Carolina. A central telescopic screw extends and is held secure with the blades allowing the root to be tapped. Sadly all before the advent of the anaesthetic. This set of forceps is marked M Evans who was an American instrument maker in the Civil War Period.

A quality early 19th century goats foot elevator in ebony steel and brass. The handle is made from hexagonal crosshatched ebony and the brass mounting is unusually ornate. Originally from France it is accompanied by a 19th century diagram explaining its use from the museum in which it was once displayed.

Pelicans

17th Century Douglas Lever

This is a rare and important dental pelican dating to the late 16th or early 17th century with an adjustable pivoting arm which can be raised or lowered by turning a key linked to a screw mechanism anchored by a central frame. The distal end of the fixed arm has attractive cross-hatching consistent with the period. The shape of the screw head is also characteristic of pieces from the late 16th century. There are only minimal signs of corrosion and the threads of the screw mechanism are intact and clean and the instrument in perfect working order.

An extremely rare 17th century dental pelican which combines dental forceps and elevator and was referred to as a "Douglas Lever". Such mutli-purpose instruments are seldom seen and this is only the third such example of which I am aware. Bennion cites one of similar function dating to 1620 in 'Antique Dental Instruments' and there is one in the archive section of Alex Peck's site. This is a beautifully made piece constructed to the highest standard and unusually for an instrument of this age it is signed "I Hall". Note the style of the I and the A in keeping with its 17th century origins.

Tooth-keys

An unusual dental key with an ingenious handle mechanism. Pressure on the  metal lever over the handle causes the clasp to rotate the hinged claw against the bolster. This allows the clasp to secure the root of the tooth without needing to rotate the tooth key. The handle is elevated by a steel spring which keeps the clasp extended in the resting position. The handle is made from rosewood and has an ivory inset on one side for orientation. Unsigned but high build quality and an extremely rare dental instrument, of French origin.

A very fine dental tooth key from the the renowned 19th century French medical instrument make Charriere. The handle is made from elephant ivory (Schreger lines are clearly visible). The key itself detaches from the hand by means of an attractively carved catch which allows the key to be rotated into North, South, East or West positions and held firmly in place. More commonly made from wood or bone it is rare to find a signed ivory example in such good condition.

An antique dental tooth key dating to the early 19th century. The handle is made from horn. The shaft and claw are from tempered steel. This instrument is tiny, measuring only 10.5 cm in length and would have been used for paediatric dental extractions.

A rare ebony handled antique dental tooth key which has a mechanism allowing the claw to be turned with the introducing hand. The instrument dates to the early 19th century and is of Dutch origin. It is signed J Pohl 's Hage.

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.