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Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Dental forceps, 18th century, crow's bill
These forceps are known as ‘crow’s bill’ because of their shape and they are among the oldest instruments used for tooth pulling. The screw is used to adjust the pressure on the tooth. This modification was introduced by Joseph Leber (1729-1808) around 1770. This type of forceps would have been used to remove the roots of teeth that had rotted or been damaged. Damage may have been caused by a previous tooth pulling as a large amount of force was required and other teeth were often broken in the process.
Details
- Category:
- Dentistry
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A600151
- Materials:
- complete and steel (metal)
- Measurements:
-
overall: 21 mm x 140 mm x 67 mm, 0.132 kg
depth: 50mm
height: 22mm
weight: 0.13kg
weight: 0.2866lbs
width: 136mm
- type:
- dental forceps
