THE FALSE TOOTH TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 26 March 1907, Page 4

THE FALSE TOOTH TRADE.

it used to be considered indelicate even to hint that there were such things as false teeth, but these artificial aids to beauty and mastication have become so common that the subject may now be introduced without offending anyone. False teeth aP2 now turned out by millions in factories, and America, so says an American in a technical publication, leads the world in this higlily important trade. The quality has bettered as the quantity has increased, owing to th<? discovery of a composition which is "practically indestructible," which means, we suppose, that it may be counted on to last the lifetim? of the wearer. Great care is taken in the manufacture oi teeth. The making of the mould far the tooth is work of the most skilled and highly-paid order. The mould is filled with the composition of which the teeth are made, baked in an oven, and thetii handed: to an operator, wiio trims off the rough edges and shapes the tooth into a finished article. The tooth then goes back into the furnace for a prolonged baking at a tremendous heat. It then goes to one of a row of girls, who examine for defects and polish and finish. "The delicate touch of a girl, educated so that the smallest defect is noticed in an instant, is required to prevent any tooth being sent from the factory with an uneven surface or a poor edge. The slightest flaw will cause rejection, for there can be no discomfort worse than that of a sharp or rough-edged tooth." But by far the most important part of the industry, from a scientific point of view, is the making of teeth to order to a particular pattern, and the matching of teeth. Some, times a factory receives an order for what are called "freak teeth," teeth quite different from those -usually found in the humm head of a- peculiar color. Men frequently want teeth made to match their tobacco-stained fixtures, and the coloring has to be done by experts. Here again the trained eyes of women come in, for they have been trained from childhood to match colors, and are far better suited for such work than the eyes of men, * j.i the toothless customer will pay the j price, he or she can have teeth of any : shape or color uesiTcd, for it is only a question of turning experts loose on the order." But the faddist in teeth must pay high for such for the teeth that are 6-'iit out carded by the hundred are a very different matter from teeth for which special moulds and coloring are necessary. American teeth go all over tJw world, and it is even suggested that it is not beyond the limit of possibility that cannibal feasts are conducted with their aid.