A vintage tooth key was a popular 18th-19th century dental tool, resembling a door key, used to extract teeth by gripping the tooth with a hinged claw and rotating it like a lock, often causing damage but predating modern forceps and featuring handles of wood, ivory, or horn with evolving shaft designs for better leverage.

Key Features

Design Inspiration: Modeled after old door keys, hence the name and rotational action.

Construction: Typically had a metal shaft, a handle (wood, ivory, horn), a bolster (base) against the gum, and a curved, hinged claw that fit over the tooth's crown.

Usage: Inserted horizontally, the claw secured the tooth, and the operator twisted the handle to dislodge it, a process that could be brutal.

Evolution: Early models had straight shafts; later versions featured bent shafts (like the F. J. Leber design) or swiveling claws for better positioning and less damage, notes this NIH article.

Materials: Handles varied from simple wood to ornate ivory or bone, while the working parts were iron or steel, according to this Fleaglass listing.

Historical Context: Widely used by barber-surgeons and early dentists, especially before forceps became common, resulting in frequent jaw fractures and broken teeth, according to this Fleaglass listing and this Museum of Health Care Blog post.