This remarkable artifact—the upper palate of a set of dentures—was reportedly discovered on the Shiloh Battlefield. Plenty of Civil War soldiers used dentures, but whoever owned this set was undoubtedly well off, as the palate is made of silver and the teeth themselves of porcelain or similar material. This model includes what are called “tube teeth,” invented in London about 1840. Each artificial tooth featured a vertical hole in the center to which a metal post was attached with cement. (Smithsonian National Museum of American History)
Smithsonian National Museum of American History