[Thread https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">] Have you heard about #toothtransplants in the past? They were particularly popular by the 18th c. Why? Sugar abuse! By this period the wealthy classes were hooked on the stuff. And we really mean hooked! https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🍰" title="Shortcake" aria-label="Emoji: Shortcake">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🍰" title="Shortcake" aria-label="Emoji: Shortcake">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🍰" title="Shortcake" aria-label="Emoji: Shortcake"> #oldoptheatre #dentistry #histmed

[Thread https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">]With little understanding of proper dental hygiene, their teeth soon rotted away to black stumps. Fashionable ladies and gents sauntered around with foul-smelling breath which inevitably made courtship a tricky business!

[Thread https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">]There are even death certificates citing ‘teeth’ as the cause!So, with the danger of spinsterhood or even death looming, many ladies visited a trusted professional for a transplant. James Spence, one of John Hunter´s collaborators, was considered the best in his field.

[Threadhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">]He could restore a beautiful smile within a couple of hours. It was standard practice to pull teeth from the mouths of the poor who couldn’t afford sugary treats. Spence paid a decent price for teeth so there was no shortage of donors queuing at the back of his surgery.

[Threadhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">]He would pull the tooth from a donor, give it a wipe, and pop it straight in the mouth of his patient. Not only did the majority of transplants fail due to rejection, he apparently infected at least seven of his patients with syphilis (surprising, we know!).

[Threadhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">]There were strong critics to the reliability and safety of Spence’s transplants, but it was the invention of ceramic teeth that finally finished off the practice (what a relief!). And you thought you hated visiting the dentist! https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙊" title="Speak-no-evil monkey" aria-label="Emoji: Speak-no-evil monkey"> #dentistry
Images: Wellcome Collection.