The British Dental Association Museum

Bill writes: The British Dental Association has a small collection of artefacts from the history of modern dentistry in the UK. I went there partly because Aline was home with a cold. But partly I was curious to find out why, to put it gently, the contents of an english smile often display a certain carefree individuality, and why it was occasionaly I'm reminded of the tiny library in our flat, its two shelves holding books of various sizes, their brown and green leather covers canted at random angles.

The museum does not get many visitors, judging by the kindly reception I received. The lone attendant took my coat and walked me around, rightfully proud of the collection. And I have to say, though tiny compared to the Hunterian, it was a wonderful antidote to it as well. Far from being frightening, the Dental Association's museum was frankly charming, making dentistry seem like a warm victorian pleasure. (Though I'm certain it wasn't.) For instance, there's this inviting chair.



And this almost magical looking dental drill from 1864.



And who'd have guessed they had dental floss in 1818?




At the end, I did ask the curator if she'd heard the story I'd always heard about a need for so many false teeth for brits that was largely due to the lack of fresh milk during the second world war. She'd never heard of this, so my dental quest goes on.