"19th Century Dental Laboratory"

This illustration is a very rare scene of an early dental laboratory. One of a series of caricatures of the 19th Century Parisian Dentist, GEORGES FATTET, sketched by Pingret and lithographed by ADAM for the Dentist's autobiography.

Fattet had similar caricatures drawn and published during the 1840's and 1850's to announce his mysteriously named "OSANORES" artificial teeth made from Hippopotamous tusk.

Dental supply houses a hundred years ago went far afield for their material as this advertisement from the National Gazette of December 9,1833 shows: TO DENTISTS, Just received and for sale, a small lot of very superior hippopotamus, or seahorse, teeth inquire of- WEIGAND AND SNOWDEN.

Dental Laboratories were numerous and a lucrative addition to the dentist's practice during the 19th century. Most of the population, young and old, had lost some or all of their natural teeth. Replacements were in great demand and expensive.

Periodontal disease was rampant and responsible for a great percentage of vanished teeth. People had not yet been informed concerning the danger to tooth survival of inflamed, bleeding gums and periodontal conditions. When they finally did see the dentist, it was too late. This was the era of extractions.