o "removed Stumps and unsound Teeth with a dexterity
peculiar to Himself at the Sign on the Leapord." There were also rival
Essences of Pearl advertised, each equally eulogized and disparaged;
"Infallible Sivit rendering the teeth white as alabaster tho' they be
black as Coal;" and "Very Neat Hawksbill and Key Draught Teeth Pullers."
These key-draught teeth-pullers were one of the cruellest instruments of
torture of the day, often breaking the jaw-bone, and always causing
unutterable anguish. Old Zabdiel Boylston advertised in the _News
Letter_, in 1712, "Powder to refresh the Gums & whiten the Teeth." There
were also sold "tooth-sopes, tooth-blanchs, tooth-rakes."

I cannot find any notice of the sale of "teeth brushes" till nearly
Revolutionary times. Perhaps the colonists used, as in old England,
little brushes made of "dentissick root" or mallow, chewed into a
fibrous swab.

I have seen no advertisements that strike a greater chill than the
scanty notices of early dentists and dentistry that appear at the latter
part of the past century. The glory of having a Revolutionary patriot
for a workman cannot soften the hard plainness of speech of this
advertisement in the _Boston Evening Post_ of September 26, 1768:

"Whereas many Persons are so unfortunate as to lose their Fore
Teeth by Accident or Otherways to their great Detriment not only in
looks but in speaking both in public and private. This is to inform
all such that they may have them replaced with Artificial Ones that
look as well as the Natural and answer the End of Speaking by Paul
Revere Goldsmith near the head of Dr. Clarkes wharf. All Persons
who have had false Teeth Fixed by Mr. Jos Baker Surgeon Dentist and
They have got loose as they will in Time may have them fastened by
above said Revere who learnt the method of fixing them from Mr.
Baker."

It will be remarked that these teeth were only to display and talk with,
and were but sorry helps in eating. This very appalling advertisement
from the _Massachusetts Centinel_ gives a clue to the way in which
missing teeth were replaced: "Live Teeth. Those Persons inclined to
dispose of Live Teeth may apply to Templeman." Or this from the
_Connecticut Courant_ of August 17, 1795: "A generous price paid for
Human Front Teeth perfectly sound, by Dr. Skinner." These "live teeth"
were inserted in other and vainer, if not more squeamish persons'
mouths, by a process