200 Year Old Denture
From Ananova
18th Century smile
A 200-year-old pair of French false teeth have gone on display for the first time to mark World Smile Day.
18th Century smile
A 200-year-old pair of French false teeth have gone on display for the first time to mark World Smile Day.
The 18th century teeth, worn by the Archbishop of Narbonne who died in 1806, were found in his coffin after an archaeologists' dig in London.
They were digging at St Pancras graveyard ahead of building work on the Channel Tunnel's new rail terminus, reports The Times.
The porcelain dentures, which were still sitting in Arthur Richard Dillon's mouth, have gone on display at the British Museum.
It is thought he may have bought the dentures, which feature gold springs, from top Parisian dentist Nicholas De Chemant.
Dillon, who was ordained as Archbishop of Narbonne in 1763, escaped the guillotine during the French Revolution before fleeing to England in 1791.
Museum of London archaeologist Natasha Powers said: "These unique artefacts reflect a pivotal time in dental history with the adoption of new materials and methods of manufacture.
"They also represent a period of significant social and economic change for the upper echelons of French society."
Story filed: 09:23 Friday 6th October 2006 -->
They were digging at St Pancras graveyard ahead of building work on the Channel Tunnel's new rail terminus, reports The Times.
The porcelain dentures, which were still sitting in Arthur Richard Dillon's mouth, have gone on display at the British Museum.
It is thought he may have bought the dentures, which feature gold springs, from top Parisian dentist Nicholas De Chemant.
Dillon, who was ordained as Archbishop of Narbonne in 1763, escaped the guillotine during the French Revolution before fleeing to England in 1791.
Museum of London archaeologist Natasha Powers said: "These unique artefacts reflect a pivotal time in dental history with the adoption of new materials and methods of manufacture.
"They also represent a period of significant social and economic change for the upper echelons of French society."
Story filed: 09:23 Friday 6th October 2006 -->
Comments