Three hundred years of false teeth – in pictures
A new exhibition at the Wellcome Collection covers the past 300 years of dentistry: from blacksmiths removing rotten teeth with pliers, and dentures made with teeth stolen from corpses or – for the very wealthy – out of walrus ivory, to the pure white Hollywood smiles of Cary Grant and Shirley Temple. Objects on display include Napoleon’s toothbrush, a Mayan tooth inlaid with a jade stone, and a cockerel head into which surgeon John Hunter transplanted a human tooth. “The exhibition puts in context that the dentistry we experience today is a lot less invasive, quicker and more heavily managed in terms of pain,” says curator Emily Scott-Dearing. “It certainly made me hugely grateful I live in the era that I do… But I’m definitely brushing my teeth more these days.”
Teeth is at the Wellcome Collection, London NW1, from 17 May
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Gold denture with human teeth, c1800
Gold was the most satisfactory material for making full or partial dentures because it could be fashioned accurately to fit well. However, this type of denture was very expensive. The process of shaping the gold was called swagging, and was carried out by hammering it over a model with a horn mallet. The human teeth, complete with their exposed roots, were drilled through the pulp chamber and riveted into place onto the gold. This is photographed to show the pins used to secure the teeth. - Captions by Rachel Bairsto, British Dental Association Museum -
Denture made for King William IV, c1820
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Walrus ivory partial upper denture with heart design, 18th century
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Improvised denture for a British prisoner of war, 1940s
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Ivory lower denture with human teeth
Commonly made of hippopotamus or walrus ivory, this kind of denture was only affordable to the wealthy. The addition of human teeth was designed to give a more realistic look. These teeth were harvested from mortuaries and later battlefields and became known as Waterloo teeth. -
Lower ivory denture with human teeth, c1800
The human teeth were attached to the denture with screws or pins drilled through the pulp chamber. This was skilled work and it often took many weeks to complete a set. By comparison, the molars were crudely carved. This set would have had wire springs attached to keep it in position. -
Full vulcanite denture with porcelain teeth and springs
The introduction of vulcanite in the 1850s revolutionised denture making and, combined with the introduction of anaesthetics, encouraged more people to have their teeth extracted. They were much more affordable for the masses and were easier to produce. -
Mayan human tooth with jade inlay, AD500-AD1,000
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Edmund Burke’s ivory denture, 18th century
Photograph: All images courtesy British Dental Association Museum, photographs by Filip Gierlinski
