These 7 antique medical devices will make you shudder

6. Tooth key

A tooth key was a dental tool that doctors and even non-doctors could use to extract teeth. It worked similar to a basin wrench. When wrapped around an object and twisted, the mechanism will latch on to the object to hold it in place.

The device is inserted into the mouth horizontally and the claw of the key tightens around a tooth. The tool rotates and pulls the tooth out, often resulting in a broken tooth, fractured jaw or damaged tissues.

The tooth key was used in the 1700s and 1800s. By the late 1800s, forceps became common practice and the tooth key lost its touch.

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