| Reference Number | FC/3/5/6 |
| Title | Tooth Instruments in Case |
| Date | 1850-1899 |
| Description | This is a set of dental instruments housed in a mahogany box with a heavily damaged lid. The box opens by lifting its once-hinged lid, revealing a purple velvet-lined interior.
The main body of the case, also lined in purple velvet, contains compartments for various dental instruments. The lid, secured by a screw-joint twistable brass bar, holds two scaling instruments and three elevators (two instruments are missing). They all feature a vulcanite handle and a metals shaft.
The main body contains one Fox's tooth key, composed of a metal shaft and a vulcanite handle, and one of the three forceps (two are missing).
All the instruments present heavy corrosion, and are stucked in their compartments.
Scaling instruments are used to remove plaque and tartar from teeth. Elevators are used to loosen teeth prior to extraction. Fox's tooth key is an old dental instrument used for extracting teeth, named after its inventor, Dr. Fox. Forceps are used for grasping and extracting teeth. |
| Extent | 1 item |
| Dimensions | Case: 250mm x 40m x 155mm |
| Fox's Key: 100mm x 20mm (shaft); 80mm x 12mm (handle) |
| Tooth Instruments (each): 110mm x 10mm |
| Forceps: 160mm x 20mm x 30mm |
| Digital Collections | View online in our digital collections |
| Copyright | Free to use under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) |
| Credit Line | Royal College of Physicians of Ireland |
| Object Name | Dental Instruments |
| Term | Dental Instruments |
| Oral Surgical Procedures |
| Dental Scaling |
| Dentistry, Operative |