Anyone undergoing cosmetic dentistry soon may be relieved that technology has progressed so quickly in the field.
This comes after the charity Dentaid unveiled a large box of dentistry equipment from its archive of donations, some of which date back to pre-Victorian times.
Many of the pieces look extremely macabre and would surely have generated a fearful shudder from even the bravest patients.
For example, there is a pedal-operated drill that was used in a hospital for the insane, a box that would have contained cocaine and adrenaline solutions and a dental key that was once employed to extract diseased teeth.
Unfortunately, the latter often resulted in the tooth breaking or the jaw fracturing.
Dentaid spokesperson Diane Platt said all the items will be sold to raise money for the charity, which collects modern equipment for use overseas.
“Many of these items would make such an unusual present for anyone with an interest in dentistry,” she commented.
In August 2010, the Baltimore Museum in Maryland unveiled a display containing George Washington’s dentures to showcase just how much cosmetic dentistry has progressed.
