Medical Antiques > Medical Dental Instruments

19th Century Dental Key with Ebony Handle

Item#: MES400

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This is a bent-shaft iron tooth key with molded baluster stem and original turned ebony handle. The working end of the key consists of a baluster and a hinged semicircular claw. The handle is equipped with a special latch to remove and replace the stem. There are 5 different size claws that can be interchanged. In the stem is a lever that when pulled, releases the claw from the bolster. To extract a tooth, the bolster was placed against the root of the tooth and the claw over the crown. The key was then turned until the tooth was dislocated and extracted. The stem is marked J. Pohl 'S H.A.G.E. Tooth key length: 14 cm (5.5 inches).