A Bite-Sized History Of Dentistry

Humanity’s long quest for a pearly white smile has produced everything from jewelled Maya tooth implants to ivory dentures given as a wedding present. Emily Scott-Dearing introduces Charlotte Hodgman to seven of the most fascinating objects from an exhibition on the history of teeth at the Wellcome Collection museum in the UK.

Napoleon’s toothbrush

Not even the strictest cleaning regime could save the French ruler from the damaging effects of sugar

This ornate silver toothbrush with horsehair bristles belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte – who, unusually for the time, is said to have brushed his teeth morning and night. “Despite his strict cleaning regime, Napoleon’s teeth – like most 17th and 18th-century aristocrats – were, it was claimed, bad, dirty and seldom seen,” says Emily Scott-Dearing. “Teeth cleaning was not a common practice at the time, and dental care was unaffordable for most, so many teeth would have been stained, rotten or missing. And by the mid-17th century the price of sugar had fallen dramatically. This made it more affordable, but rottened and blackened people’s teeth in the process.”

Love bites

These ivory dentures made for an unusual wedding gift Early dentures were usually carved from hippopotamus and walrus ivory – and, from the early 19th century, porcelain – but their vast cost meant that only the very rich could wear them.

“This partial upper denture from the 18th century is carved from a block of walrus ivory and was presented to a bride as a wedding gift,” says Scott-Dearing. “Ivory dentures were handcrafted to fit the wearer and would have taken several days to make. This would have made them incredibly expensive. What’s more, they would have been difficult and heavy to wear in the mouth and would have become foul smelling and dirty within a few years without regular cleaning.”

One of the most famous early denture-wearers was American president George Washington, who went through several sets during his lifetime, most of which were spring-loaded.

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