The museum on top of centuries' worth of burials that has dentures made of dead men's teeth
Curators Clíona Purcell and Donnchadh O’Ceallacháin outside the Irish Wake Museum in Waterford city. Picture: Chani Anderson
Adorned with real human teeth on a solid gold base, one of Ireland’s oldest known set of dentures may be among the country’s most disturbingly quirky excavation finds, laid bare at the distinctly chilling Wake Museum in Waterford.
It is still unclear whether body snatchers played a part in sourcing the dentures on display at the museum — nonetheless, the sheer savagery and cut-throat nature of early dentistry makes the prospect highly likely, according to head curator Clíona Purcell.
History also laments the number of individuals whose dismal financial situation forced them to part with their own teeth in exchange for money.
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It’s the first time Ms Purcell has spoken publicly about the teeth which were remarkably discovered during an excavation of the grounds housing the museum.
Ireland’s Wake Museum forms part of the Waterford Treasures museum collection in the heart of Waterford city. The experience indulges Irish people’s fascination with death and all its customs.
The space incorporates a walking tour of the Viking Triangle that allows visitors to step back in time through an encapsulation of the city’s 1,000-year history.
Clíona Purcell, who at 29 made history after recently becoming Ireland’s youngest head museum curator, said the teeth serve as a reminder of the bizarre ways Irish people lived during the Victorian era.
She refers to the teeth on display by way of example.
Held together crudely by what appear to be spikes, the dentures were likely excruciatingly painful for their owner.
While the thought of chewing with a dead man’s teeth is enough to churn even the steeliest of stomachs, it was a the height of glamour for well to do Irish men and women of the day.
This particular set of false teeth dates back to 1870 when Irish dentistry was still in its infancy. The dentures became a much sought-after status symbol referred to as “Waterloo teeth”.
The name was coined following a mass scavenging event that occurred in 1815. While today’s looters target shop windows, it was the mouths of dead soldiers on the battlefield at Waterloo that proved most attractive to unscrupulous opportunists of the time.
The fact that the teeth were sourced from brave and noble soldiers only added to their marketing appeal.
Repugnant greed led many after that to try their hand at dentistry with everyone from jewelers to blacksmiths offering the prestigious service.
Clíona averts our gaze to the plaque partially coating the dentures in her hand.
“They are not in the best state,” she tells the . “There is a little bit of plaque on them but it was still preferable to having wooden teeth which were the only other option at the time. This was the most upper class option available.
"Underneath us is the Christchurch Cathedral graveyard which means there are about a thousand burials underfoot in this part of the city. It’s very typical to find bones anytime you disturb any of the ground here. The dentures were discovered just across the way.”
The artefact is one of many curiosities that were unearthed close to the museum.
“Underneath us in this building in Christchurch graveyard is centuries worth of burials. The teeth making up the dentures may have been taken by resurrectionists.
"They were known by this name at the time as they dug up the cadavers, literally bringing back the dead. If the bodies were too far gone to sell to universities, they would take the teeth for dentists to purchase.”
She explains why they were so attractive to wealthy families.
“The teeth are set in gold which is a very good option for something like this because it doesn’t tarnish. This is particularly important for anything that is prone to getting wet.
"These were the most expensive set of dentures you could buy in those days. If you did buy a set of these you were spending the rest of your life smiling and eating with somebody else’s teeth.
"The thought of this sends a shiver down your spine. However, if you could afford this level of dentistry back then it was definitely more of a status symbol.
“Dental work was extremely expensive in the Victorian period. There could have been extra teeth with these dentures that were lost. These just happen to be still in them.
"Any kind of dental work was a status symbol. If you could so much as afford it then you were doing very well for yourself, probably gentry at the very least. These would have been upper gentry.”
Little restoration was needed on the artefact with the exception of what Clíona described as “a bit of polishing".
“Once you die your teeth tend to stay quite white. A lot of people tend to be shocked at how white bones are.
"Teeth are just bones at the end of the day so they are no different.”
Those occupying the Wake Museum building during the period the false teeth were made would have never experienced dental work.
“This used to be an almshouse which was like a precursor to today’s modern retirement homes. If you were among the deserving poor — and it was decided who was deserving and who wasn’t — there was an opportunity for 12 people to live here.
"It meant they had a roof over their heads and access to food. The payment for that was they had to get up three times a night to pray for the souls of the house’s founders.
"If they didn’t they would be denied food the next day. One had to stay up to wake the others. It meant that they didn’t get any sleep at all that night.
"The only reason this almshouse was set up was because its founders believed it was a way to avoid getting stuck in purgatory following their deaths. It was common in those days to have those kind of thoughts and motivations.”
To find out more about the Wake Museum visit it's website.
