Lower denture completely carved of ivory with complete set of teeth minus the third molars
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Transfer from the Dental Canada Fund; previously housed in the Dentistry Canada Museum (Ottawa)
Dates
1750
1760
circa 1750-1760
Date Remarks
Date based on donor's remarks
Material
ivory: 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 4.0 cm x Depth 1.5 cm
Condition Remarks
Shows signs of use; ivory is very discoloured; scratches are visible on the front of the teeth; proper right premolar and first molar are particularly discoloured
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