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Scaler set

Scaler set
Ivory handle and scalers
c. 1795
Scaler set
Scaler set
Ivory handle and scalers
c. 1795
Scaler set Ivory handle and scalers c. 1795
Status
Not on view
Label Text

The Washington family attempted to maintain good oral hygiene by brushing their teeth and using mouthwash. An additional measure was a regular appointment with a surgeon-dentist to scrape off built-up tartar using tools known as scalers. The compact sets, such as the incomplete one seen here, typically included a common handle and as many as twelve individually shaped, interchangeable heads to enable a thorough cleaning.

See also case, W-546/A, and scaler set, W-546/D, F, I.

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Datec. 1795
Geography Probably made - England
DimensionsOverall (B): 3 3/8 in. x 1/2 in. x 1/2 in. (8.59 cm x 1.27 cm x 1.27 cm) Overall (C): 2 1/4 in. x 5/16 in. x 5/16 in. (5.72 cm x 0.79 cm x 0.79 cm) Overall (E): 2 9/16 in. x 5/16 in. x 5/16 in. (6.5 cm x 0.79 cm x 0.79 cm) Overall (G): 2 3/8 in. x 5/16 in. x 5/16 in. (6.05 cm x 0.79 cm x 0.79 cm) Overall (H): 2 5/16 in. x 5/16 in. x 5/16 in. (5.87 cm x 0.79 cm x 0.79 cm)
Credit LineGift of Marie Conrad Lehr as a memorial to her brother, Charles Angelo Conrad II, 1915
Object numberW-546/B,C,E,G,H
DescriptionB:
Faceted ivory handle with steel end cap and shank socket; the seamed sheet metal end cap is hammered to the shape of the handle's facets and is anchored by a metal pin; the seamed sheet metal shank collar is hammered and pinned into place; the collar supports a square socket and catch that receives the latched tenons of the interchangeable dental tools that are fastened by a wing screw threaded into the side wall.

C:
Coved and pointed scaler atop a long baluster shank with a collar and flared base below which extends a tenon with a shallow well set into the obverse that terminates in a latch.

E:
Coved and trapezoidal shaped scaler with a curved edge atop a long baluster shank with a collar and flared base, below which extends a tenon with a shallow well set into the obverse that terminates in a latch.

G:
Coved and pointed scaler atop a long baluster shank with a collar and flared base, below which extends a tenon with a shallow well set into the obverse that terminates in a latch.

H:
Coved and pointed scaler atop a long baluster shank with a collar and flared base, below which extends a tenon with a shallow well set into the obverse that terminates in a latch.

Published ReferencesJames C. Rees, Treasures from Mount Vernon: George Washington Revealed (Mount Vernon, VA: Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1999), 79.
Mount Vernon's object research is ongoing and information about this object is subject to change. For information on image use and reproductions, click here.
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