The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-06
THE FALSE TEETH TRADE.
1t Is Regular Business to Buy and
Sell Those Articles.
From the Chicago Inter Ocean.

From the Chicago Inter Ocean.
"Old false teeth bought"
This is the sign which attracts the at
tention of visitors to the Office of certain
dealer in dental and optical supplies who
does business in Chicago.
IT'S queer how people are attracted by
that sign" said the owner of the estab-
lishment. Il never intended 1t to be prom
inent, because there are other lines In my
business am more interested in pushing,
but 1t seems to fairly force itself into the
minds of everybody who come here, no
matter what their mission may be, and
old false teeth bought is the only thing
they can think of to talk about
There's nothing audacious In dealing
in secondhand false teeth, although 1
will admit the sign is am unusual one. 1t
is legitimate branch of our trade With
ordinary usage false teeth don't wear out,
and are just as good at the end of a few
years as they were when new. The teeth
themselves are valuable, and the gold
work used In binding even the common
place 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
--~-en, you remember that a whole lot of
people who wear false teeth are dying
every day. Ten years ago there was no
way of utilizing this old materiai-it was
all dead waste, so 10 speak But now It As
different. Times are hard and people are
more economical. 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
grave Thus ii becomes that a trade of
considerable proportions has sprung I'D in
this line, and old false teeth are a staple
in this market
who brings them here to sell. and what
class of customers buy them?'
Small dentists who are hard IN finan
cially and lack the inclination of facilities
to clean up and build over the discarded
SETS which they are sharp enough to re-
tain from their patrons are the main
source of supply. Sometimes they make
their patrons a little allowance for the
old sets OF teeth, but they get out of this
whenever possible on the plea that they
are worthless. Then we have poor folks
who cannot afford to wear false teeth anv
longer, come here occasionally and offer
them for sale. Undertakers? Well. this
is feature of the trade l don't care to
talk about. might be misunderstood and
some people are so squeamish, you know.
Why one woman came in here Yesterday
to buy an opera glass. She looked like q
good customer, and was inspecting some
high-priced glasses when / stopped 70
wait upon man who frequently brings
in some fine teeth. She saw me take n
set from him and pay for them. and then
noticing, probably, his sombre clothes and
an end of black crepe sticking out of one
of his side pockets, she flounced away in a
fury without word of explanation IL ia
hard to please everybody, and as times are
hard, have to be very CAREFUL
But what about your sales? Who
takes these old grinders and incIsors from
your"
Principally a class of men who make q
business of working over the sets. When
the outfit is in reasonably good shane. N
is given thorough cleansing, frightened
up, and then resold to dentists who have
cheap patronage. A little tinkering will,
make them fit after a fashion In the
mouths of people who want to make a
show Of false teeth at little cost, Where
the sets are not good enough to be used
entire they are broken up, the gold either
melted down or saved to be remodeled ana
the teeth themselves remounted as thev
are needed'for patients 1t is a good thing
for poor people, for many of them ara
thus enabled 10 get passably fair false
teeth at a nominal price, when otherwise
they would have TO go without. owing 10
the great expense. Excuse me while I
wait upon this woman"
When the Inter-Ocean man left the es-
tablishment the merchant was dickerine
with an mple-proportioned African ssaun.
ty' for a double set OF teeth with heavy
gold plates, which, she said, she haS,
found IN hotel where she worked as
cnambermaid
Der german don go 10 at sorspifal,
said aunty "Es wuz SO sick when dev
TAX i'm way he don clar forgot lis teet'