Dr. Ralph and Mrs. Olga Crawford Canadian Dental Collection
Category
Dental
Dentures
Classification
Dental
Dentures
Accession Number
010020456
Description
Upper denture carved out of ivory with porcelain teeth; teeth present are two first, two second premolars and one first molar all carved out of ivory; the central and lateral incisors, canines and premolars are made of porcelain; the porcelain teeth are held in with metal posts; there is a hole dri…
Upper denture carved out of ivory with porcelain teeth; teeth present are two first, two second premolars and one first molar all carved out of ivory; the central and lateral incisors, canines and premolars are made of porcelain; the porcelain teeth are held in with metal posts; there is a hole drilled through the centre of the palate; there is a hole drilled in the palate behind each ivory second premolar, and a hole in the palate behind the central incisors filled with a copper metal post
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Transfer from the Dental Canada Fund; previously housed in the Dentistry Canada Museum (Ottawa)
Dates
1860
1870
circa 1860-1870
Date Remarks
Date based on donor's remarks
Material
ivory: cream
porcelain: grey
metal: black, brown
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-B
Temporary Location
On display “Toothless: A History of Dentures” at the Museum of Healthcare; 27 Oct 2015
Dimension Notes
Length 6.0 cm x Width 4.5 cm x Depth 2.0 cm
Condition Remarks
Ivory displays some discolouration, as do the porcelain teeth; denture has cracked down the centre between the two central incisors and was previously glued back together; scratches present all over
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Internet
JPG
Reference Comments
"British Dental Association Museum" website; CD #4
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; ivory was a common material used in the manufacture of dentures in the 18th century; a down side to ivory is that it degrades quickly in the mouth resulting in bad breath and a bad taste in the mouth; human teeth were preferred as they did not degrade like ivory or were too white like porcelain