Hamlet’s “Cruel only to be kind” could well describe a not so very long-ago dental practice. It is highly unlikely these days that any woman prior to her marriage has received the gift of a full mouth tooth extraction and new dentures.
Dental upkeep was very expensive, especially in the days when there were no regular appointments, and the regimens of regular flossing, mouthwash, fluoride, and of course electric toothbrushes, still in the future. On top of that, sweeteners and sugar were becoming more widely available and being used more frequently.
Therefore, when a woman was getting married, often her father’s wedding present was to pay to have all her teeth extracted and a full set of dentures immediately inserted, so her future husband would not be lumbered with the burden of future dental costs.
Even if the woman had a perfect set of teeth at the time of her marriage it was considered that her teeth would deteriorate. And then there was the myth that a woman would ‘lose a tooth for every baby’.
Oswald George Havelock Sinfield 1882 -1965 a very well-known Glen Innes dentist between 1912 and 1952 had surgeries in various buildings in Glen Innes – including northern side of Kwong Sings, in the Phoenix building, in the Utz building and finally 117 Wentworth Street. (I remember being in the dental chair in there in front of the bow window in the 1950s.)
Known as ‘Sinny’ he qualified as a dentist at 20 but was not permitted to be registered until he was 21. His daughter Yvonne Morton said he first practised in Kempsey and then spent two years in Portland, Oregan, USA.
It was he who perfected the technique for the aforementioned ghastly practice. He lectured and gave demonstrations of this work. Subsequently a film was made of this technique in Newcastle. He was also proficient in orthodontics. Popular as a farewell speaker, he was on Council and many local committees, and a keen golfer.
Some of his equipment is in the museum, as part of an historic allied health display. He took this foot powered drill and collapsible chair and kerosene heater to boil a kettle for sterilising instruments on his regular visits to Deepwater and Emmaville.
As he grew older you can well imagine the pace of the treadling for the drill becoming slower and slower with the resultant increasing pain!
