Description

Offered for for sale is this Antique Victorian dental Tooth Key with ebony handle. 1780-1820.

Brief history:   Before dentists had chairs that didn’t look like torture devices, they had this: the tooth key. A charming little implement designed to wrench offending molars from your mouth with all the grace of a blacksmith pulling nails from a floorboard.

Invented in the 18th century and widely used well into the 1800s, the tooth key was inspired by – you guessed it – a door key. Because why not treat your jaw like a stubborn lock? The curved claw would grip the tooth, a twist of the wrist would do the rest, and voilà: agony! But slightly less agony than keeping the tooth. Probably.

Favoured by barber-surgeons, battlefield medics, and anyone with a questionable understanding of anatomy, this trusty tool earned a reputation for results… and for occasionally removing the wrong tooth.

Now retired and mercifully replaced by anaesthetic and precision tools, this tooth key serves as a gloriously grim reminder that dentistry has definitely improved.

Perfect for collectors, conversation starters, or warning children what happens when you don’t brush.

Period:  Georgian, 19th century.  Age 1780-1820
Style: Georgian medical
Material:  Ebony handle, wrought iron shaft

Height: 15cm 
Width:  9cm 
Depth:  2cm 

Condition: Good overall condition.  There is a chip to the ebony handle on one side (see photos).

Shipping  and shipping costs:  The listed price does not include shipping costs.  Please contact us for shipping costs to your location.  To ensure the item arrives safe and sound, we only use reputable couriers with tracking, insurance, and signature required.