Welcome!
» Log In
» Create A New Profile
1800s platinum alloy dental crown & bridge with partial human teeth?
Posted by Digs_alot
This forum is currently read only. You can not log in or make any changes. This is a temporary situation.
|
1800s platinum alloy dental crown & bridge with partial human teeth? September 24, 2012 06:00PM |
Used noise cancel #11, audio gain = 30 with the 18”x15” SEF coil, and the Pro coil. Sensitivity level varied depending on coil.
In the past 4 weeks, got in only 7 days at the beach. While checking the rocky area near the main beach, got a very low tone hit. Initially, it looked like a necklace piece. After rinsing the dirt off in the water, saw the 2 partial teeth. First guess was; early 20th century braces, which was wired/attached to someone’s 4 front teeth. I pictured an 100 year old decaying corpse somewhere out there in the water, whose braced front teeth finally detached from the rotting skull, and washed into the low tide zone. A gruesome picture.
After some cleaning (electrolysis to remove the dirt), and some online research, discovered that it’s actually an old dental crown-and-bridge work, used to replace the 4 front incisor teeth. The cuspids (canines) and bicuspids fit inside the 4 platinum alloyed caps (one bicuspid cap may have broken off during recovery).
After the electrolysis cleaning, decided to acid test the dental crown. Although the metal is dark gold to brownish in color, the streak was actually silverish. Used the whole battery of acid tests (10k, 14k, 18k, 22k, and platinum) on the bicuspid streak. Disbelieving this dark gold to brownish metal was platinum, I rubbed down about 1/4mm on the corner of the bicuspid cap and platinum acid tested the streak. The worn down area was still dark gold, the streak was still silverish, and was unaffected by the platinum acid. But the weight changed from 3.84g to 3.80g, due to wearing down a 1/4mm of metal, not too smart. Then put a few drops of 22k acid inside the bicuspid cap, and hoped it would dissolve the discoloration, but no effect. It appears the platinum was intentionally alloyed for color change, like white gold (which has a gold streak instead of white), and dark brown gold (which also has a gold streak).
More online research revealed that in the mid to late 1800s, platinum was very inexpensive, was used in dental alloys, and was alloyed for color change. Porcelain, and even bone was “pinned” or fused into the metal work to look like teeth. This dental plate appears to be constructed of platinum alloy caps for the cuspids and bicuspids, which are soldered together, attached to a platinum wire frame, with some other material for filler around the wire frame made to resemble the gums (alveolar border) bordering teeth.
Thanks to online research, the thought of recovering a dental bridge from a 100 year old decaying copse has finally subsided.
I’m optimistically dating the bridgework to the mid-to-late 1800s, and hoping someone out there in “forum land”, familiar with the history of dentistry has information which can more accurately date this very odd find.
Air tested using:
Procoil auto-sensitivity = 16
The above 3 photos are:
1) a bottom (inside mouth) view
2) a front view
3) a top view
The above 4 photos are:
1) a bottom edge view facing the outside of the mouth
2) a bottom edge view facing the inside of the mouth. On the far left, at the bottom left of the bicuspid, you can barely make out the “worn down/rubbed down” spot.
3) the solder where the missing bicuspid cap was attached.
4) the solder point where the bicuspid cap is attached to the cuspid
[row 1, col 1-2] The reddish orange tint on the Mercury dime appears to be caused by rust. Enough iron must have rusted away to unmask the signal. The iron rust and dirt has severely embedded the front of the coin.
[row 1, col 3-4] After electrolysis, ultrasonic cleaning, tumbling, hydrogen peroxide, salt-vinegar solution, this is the results. The rust and dirt is thoroughly embedded on the coin.
[row 2, col 1-2] Hammering the coin using the blunt end of vise grips finally loosened the rust. Now electrolysis, along with a baking soda rubdown removed most of the embedded rust.
[row 2, col 3] Front and back of some type of jewelry. There are some type of tiny blue stones embedded in the jewelry.
[row 3, col 1-2] The large eagle (buckle?) has some type of bronze plating over some filler metal. The before and after cleaning photos.
A group photo of some of the other finds.
From left to right; a pewter shoe?, a moose pendant, a worn down bronze/brass ring with the stone missing, the jewelry piece with tiny blue stones, a bronze jewelry something, and the eagle buckle.
Detecting since Feb, 2010
E-trac with 18"x15" SEF, 13" Ultimate coil, Pro coil, Minelab 8" coil, 4.5"x7" SEF, Sunray target probe
CTX3030 with 17"x13" DD coil, 11" DD coil
In the past 4 weeks, got in only 7 days at the beach. While checking the rocky area near the main beach, got a very low tone hit. Initially, it looked like a necklace piece. After rinsing the dirt off in the water, saw the 2 partial teeth. First guess was; early 20th century braces, which was wired/attached to someone’s 4 front teeth. I pictured an 100 year old decaying corpse somewhere out there in the water, whose braced front teeth finally detached from the rotting skull, and washed into the low tide zone. A gruesome picture.
After some cleaning (electrolysis to remove the dirt), and some online research, discovered that it’s actually an old dental crown-and-bridge work, used to replace the 4 front incisor teeth. The cuspids (canines) and bicuspids fit inside the 4 platinum alloyed caps (one bicuspid cap may have broken off during recovery).
After the electrolysis cleaning, decided to acid test the dental crown. Although the metal is dark gold to brownish in color, the streak was actually silverish. Used the whole battery of acid tests (10k, 14k, 18k, 22k, and platinum) on the bicuspid streak. Disbelieving this dark gold to brownish metal was platinum, I rubbed down about 1/4mm on the corner of the bicuspid cap and platinum acid tested the streak. The worn down area was still dark gold, the streak was still silverish, and was unaffected by the platinum acid. But the weight changed from 3.84g to 3.80g, due to wearing down a 1/4mm of metal, not too smart. Then put a few drops of 22k acid inside the bicuspid cap, and hoped it would dissolve the discoloration, but no effect. It appears the platinum was intentionally alloyed for color change, like white gold (which has a gold streak instead of white), and dark brown gold (which also has a gold streak).
More online research revealed that in the mid to late 1800s, platinum was very inexpensive, was used in dental alloys, and was alloyed for color change. Porcelain, and even bone was “pinned” or fused into the metal work to look like teeth. This dental plate appears to be constructed of platinum alloy caps for the cuspids and bicuspids, which are soldered together, attached to a platinum wire frame, with some other material for filler around the wire frame made to resemble the gums (alveolar border) bordering teeth.
Thanks to online research, the thought of recovering a dental bridge from a 100 year old decaying copse has finally subsided.
I’m optimistically dating the bridgework to the mid-to-late 1800s, and hoping someone out there in “forum land”, familiar with the history of dentistry has information which can more accurately date this very odd find.
Air tested using:
Procoil auto-sensitivity = 16
Karat grams depth FE-CO max depth description Plat alloy 3.80 2” 14-01 3” 4 front teeth dental bridge
The above 3 photos are:
1) a bottom (inside mouth) view
2) a front view
3) a top view
The above 4 photos are:
1) a bottom edge view facing the outside of the mouth
2) a bottom edge view facing the inside of the mouth. On the far left, at the bottom left of the bicuspid, you can barely make out the “worn down/rubbed down” spot.
3) the solder where the missing bicuspid cap was attached.
4) the solder point where the bicuspid cap is attached to the cuspid
[row 1, col 1-2] The reddish orange tint on the Mercury dime appears to be caused by rust. Enough iron must have rusted away to unmask the signal. The iron rust and dirt has severely embedded the front of the coin.
[row 1, col 3-4] After electrolysis, ultrasonic cleaning, tumbling, hydrogen peroxide, salt-vinegar solution, this is the results. The rust and dirt is thoroughly embedded on the coin.
[row 2, col 1-2] Hammering the coin using the blunt end of vise grips finally loosened the rust. Now electrolysis, along with a baking soda rubdown removed most of the embedded rust.
[row 2, col 3] Front and back of some type of jewelry. There are some type of tiny blue stones embedded in the jewelry.
[row 3, col 1-2] The large eagle (buckle?) has some type of bronze plating over some filler metal. The before and after cleaning photos.
A group photo of some of the other finds.
From left to right; a pewter shoe?, a moose pendant, a worn down bronze/brass ring with the stone missing, the jewelry piece with tiny blue stones, a bronze jewelry something, and the eagle buckle.
Detecting since Feb, 2010
E-trac with 18"x15" SEF, 13" Ultimate coil, Pro coil, Minelab 8" coil, 4.5"x7" SEF, Sunray target probe
CTX3030 with 17"x13" DD coil, 11" DD coil