The dentist's office, and its opulently furnished waiting room, depict the Victorian trend in dental care. The dental equipment was used by Dr. McKenna to treat patients of the Breckenridge area and is estimated to be more than 100 years old.
The tall wooden cabinet with its countertop and drawers for instruments is quite similar to the ones used in the dental office today. On display here are a dental chair covered with red velvet and featuring a crystal spitting bowl. A foot-operated drill sits at its side. Just the idea of having a tooth drilled with this slow piece of equipment, which did more grinding than drilling, makes one shudder. Crude drills, files, forceps, small lances, and other items can be seen spread out on tables and countertops. Other instruments are placed in a mahogany box lined with green velvet resting on a table.
Pulling teeth was done with a "turn-key," actually a doctor's tool, and was an excruciating way to extract teeth. In the early days of Old West dentistry, the patient was given no anesthetic. No wonder it was common practice for those people with a toothache to fortify themselves with a stiff drink of whiskey before having the "Doc" work on their teeth. In many mining camps, the patient brought his own gold or silver to the doctor to fill his teeth. A very convenient arrangement! Fortunately, the dental profession has made great strides since the 1800s.
