Dr. Ralph and Mrs. Olga Crawford Canadian Dental Collection
Category
Dental
Animal Remains
Dentures
Classification
Dental
Animal Remains
Dentures
Accession Number
010020491
Description
Lower denture completely carved of ivory with complete set of teeth minus the third molars; there is a hole in the ivory beneath each second premolar; there are circular wear marks around the hole beneath the second premolar on the proper left side; there are red ink marks on the proper left latera…
Lower denture completely carved of ivory with complete set of teeth minus the third molars; there is a hole in the ivory beneath each second premolar; there are circular wear marks around the hole beneath the second premolar on the proper left side; there are red ink marks on the proper left lateral incisor and canine
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, cream
ink: red
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 5.7 cm x Width 4.0 cm x Depth 1.5 cm
Condition Remarks
Shows signs of use; ivory is very discoloured; scratches are visible all over; there is a crack on the front of the dentures that extends nearly the entire length of the proper right side of the gums
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