Tooth Be Told: The Quest for Oral Health Throughout History

Teeth speak to some of the most fundamental human experiences. The presence and health of teeth are often the deciding factor in what a person can eat. Showing teeth can be a threat or it can be an expression of happiness and trust.  Teeth can be a defensive weapon or something to be feared. Going to the dentist is generally held to be one of the most important ways to preserve oral health, yet dentist visits are often mythologized in media as one of the most frightening forms of healthcare to experience.

Tooth Be Told explores the preservation of dental health through both a professional and a lay lens. Through text, archival images and artifacts both strange and almost familiar, it answers the following questions: How did ideas about proper dental procedures change over time? How did people take an active role in preserving their own dental health? How was dental health marketed over time? How were dentists involved in the development of general anaesthesia? What happens when oral health degrades and teeth need to be filled or replaced?

 

Credit and Special Thanks for this exhibit go to

Curator/Conservatrice: Rowena McGowan

Exhibit Design/Design muséal: Kathy Karkut

French translation/Traduction française: Gabrielle Duval

Consultants:
Catherine Carstairs. Professor, History,
University of Guelph
Mike Wong, MD FRCPC (Anesthesiology)
Lynn Tomkins, DDS

This exhibit was made possible thanks to a
generous donation by/Cette exposition a été
rendue possible grâce à un généreux don de: Linda Teteruck

 

Opening early July 2025