History of Dentures:

For centuries, replacements for decaying or lost teeth have been produced. Since early 700 BC, carefully and skillfully designed dentures have been created using ivory and animal bone, most often from elephants or hippopotamus.

In addition to ivory and animal bone, through the ages, human teeth were also used; pulled from the deceased or sold by poor people from their own mouths. These teeth soon rotted or decayed. Wealthy persons had dentures made of silver, gold, mother of pearl, or agate.

During Medieval times dentures were seldom considered and gaps between teeth were expected, even nobles had them. Queen Elizabeth I filled the holes in her mouth with white cloth to improve her appearance in public.

When dentures were installed, they were hand-carved and tied in place with silk threads. Upper and lower plates fit poorly, and were held together by steel springs. Retention of false teeth was very difficult as the number of teeth diminished in the mouth. Those that wore full sets of dentures had to remove them before eating.

It’s a well-known fact that George Washington suffered from tooth loss and unfit dentures. The major reason that the level of technology didn’t increase is because suitable materials for false teeth were hard to find. These problems began to be solved in the 1700’s.

In 1774, Duchateau and Dubois de Chemant designed a full set of dentures that would not rot. They were made of porcelain. Fit and comfort eventually improved as well. In the 1700’s Plaster of Paris was introduced.

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