Dr. Ralph and Mrs. Olga Crawford Canadian Dental Collection
Category
Dental
Classification
Dental
Accession Number
010020186 a-d
Description
Rectangular box for dental gold; clear plastic box with clasp closure at front centre (a); manufacturer's information and product name printed on front of box with gold ink; gold sticker with weight of gold printed with black ink affixed to front; two rectangular green foam pieces (b, c) fit insideā¦
Rectangular box for dental gold; clear plastic box with clasp closure at front centre (a); manufacturer's information and product name printed on front of box with gold ink; gold sticker with weight of gold printed with black ink affixed to front; two rectangular green foam pieces (b, c) fit inside; white rectangular sheet of paper printed with blue ink (d) sits at bottom, facing outward; states instructions for use; between layers of foam are rectangular pieces of gold in various sizes.
Number Of Parts
4
Part Names
a - box - Size: Length 7.5 cm x Width 5.5 cm x Depth 1.3 cm
b - foam - Size: Length 7.0 cm x Width 4.8 cm x Depth 0.4 cm
c - foam - Size: Length 7.0 cm x Width 4.8 cm x Depth 0.4 cm
d - sheet - Size: Length 7.0 cm x Width 4.9 cm x Depth 0.1 cm
Provenance
Transfer from the Dental Canada Fund; previously housed in the Dentistry Canada Museum (Ottawa)
(a) Printed on front: "WILLIAMS MAT FOIL // 1/10 OZ // WILLIAMS GOLD REFINING CO., INC. // 2978 MAIN STREET // BUFFALO 14, N. Y. // FORT ERIE, ONT. PRINTED IN U.S.A."
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-C6-2
Condition Remarks
Some ink worn off box; foam is very fragile, turning brown; box has brown adhesive remnants
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
Reference Comments
"Material in Dentistry: Principles and Applications, 2nd ed.", Jack L. Ferracane, 2001, p. 3, 140-141
Research Facts
Dr Ralph and Mrs Olga Crawford donated their extensive Canadian dental collection to the DCF to create the museum in 1997; further donations were received while Dr Crawford was Curator Emeritus at the Dental Canada Museum until its closure in 2008; gold is still used by some dentists, despite it being more costly and more difficult to work with than amalgams or composites; gold was first used to fill cavities around 1500 C.E. in early modern Italy; while gold is a very soft metal, it becomes harder when compressed, and pieces weld together in the mouth; it requires twice as much force as amalgam does to be compressed, however, and there is a danger of hurting the tooth being filled