Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-09-19
A UNIQUE BUT PROFITABLE TRADE. A REGULAR BUSINESS AND HOW IT IS CARRIED
 ON.
Sometimes the Discarded Sets Are eleansed, Frightened Up
 and Resold.
tOld False Teeth Bought. J

attention of sisitof4 to the office of a certain dealer in dental and optical SUD- plies who does business in Chicago. It's queer how people are attracted by that sign, said the owner of the establishment. "I never intended it to be prominent, i'ecause there are other lines IF my business am more interest ed ia pushing, but it seems to fairly force ituelf into the minds of everybody who comes here, no matter what his mission may be, and old false teeth bought is the only thing they can think or talk about.
 There's s nothing audacious in deai- ing in secondhand false teeth, although Twill admit the sign is an unusual one. It IS a legitimate branch of our trade With ordinary usage false teeth don't wear out and are just as good at the end of q few years as they were when new. l The teeth themselves are valuable, and the gold work used in binding even the commonplace kind together is costly. People are forever getting new ideas about their teeth and keep the dentists busy changing or building over their artificial molars. Then, you remember that whole lot of people who wear false teeth are dying every day
 Ten years ago there was no way of utilizing this old material. It was all dead waste, so to speak. But now it ia different, and people are more econom. ical. False teeth, especially if heavily set with gold plates, are worth too much money to be cast aside when new ones are ordered or to be buried in a grave. | Thus it comes that trade of consider able proportions has sprung up in this line, and old false teeth are a staple in this market U
 "Who brings them here to sell and what class of customers buy them?''
 Small dentists who are hard mp financially and lack the inclination or facilities to clean up and build oyer the discarded sets, which they are sharp enough to retain from their patrons, are the main source of supply. Sometimes they make their patrons little allow. ance for the old sets of teeth, but they | get out of this whenever possible on the plea that they are worthless. Then we 1 have poor folk who cannot afford to wear false teeth any longer come in here occasionally and offer them for sale. Undertakers? We'll, that is fea ture of the trade don't care to talk about. I might be misunderstood, and some people are so squeamish, you know.
 "Why, ono woman came i'll here yes terday to buy an opera glass. She look ed like good customer and was inspect ing some high priced glasses when I stopped to wait upon man who ire quently brings ill some fine teeth. Sine saw me take set from him and pay for them, and then, noticing probably his sombeI clothes and an end of black orape sticking out of ono of his side pockets, she fiounced away ill fury without word of explanation. It IS hard to please everybody, and as times are hard I have to De very careful /"
 "But what about your sales? Who takes these old grinders and incisors from you?"
 "Principaily class of men who make business of working over the sets. When the outfit is ill reasonably good shape, it is given a thorough cleansing, frightened up, and then re- sold to dentists who have cheap pat ronage. A little tinkering will make them fit after fashion ill the mouths of people who want to make show Of | false teeth at small cost. Where the sets are not good enough to be used entire they arc broken up, the gold either melted down or saved to Do remodeled, and the teeth themselves remounted as they arc needed for patients It's good thing for poor people, for many of them are thus enabled to get passably fair false reeth at nominal price, when otherwise they would have to go with out, ewing to the great expense. Excuse me while wait upon this woman.
 When The Inter Ocean man left the establishment, the merchant was dick ering with an ample proportioned Af- rican "aunty'' for double set of teeth with heavy gold plates. which she said she had found ill | hotel where she worked as chambermaid.
 .Der genman' don go to lat 'ors- pital, ]" said aunty. "E's wuz so sick when dey talk i'm way he don oar forgot is teet', an l doan' spec he'll wan lem any more. Steal lem? No. sah; no, sahl Boss e say talk ole truck way. doan' want lem round ere Ole truck-.umph, nmph-why, dats jes' like findin five dollahs. - Chicago Inter Ocean.