Extracting a tooth

A painting showing a man having a tooth removed as a dowd watches.
© Wellcome Library, London

About

No one likes going to the dentist – but it’s a lot better today than it was in the 1600s! Just have a look at this painting from the Wellcome Collection to see how bad it was then.

Things to think about…

  • Why do you think there are so many people watching his procedure?
  • Can you think of the ways dentistry has changed?

Museum's description

An operator extracting a tooth. Oil painting by an unidentified painter, 16–, after Theodor Rombouts

Artist

Theodoor Rombouts

From

Wellcome Collection