French archbishop's 200-year-old dentures shows in London

A handout image received from the Museum of London shows a 200-year-old pair of false teeth found in the mouth of a French archbishop when his coffin was dug up by archaeologists. The dentures go on show for the first time on October 6, a museum has said.[AFP]

The 18-century porcelain dentures, which will be displayed at the Museum of London in the City district, were found sitting snugly in the mouth of the Archbishop of Narbonne, France, Arthur Richard Dillon, who died in 1806.

Archaeologists found his coffin in the graveyard at St Pancras, north London, where a new Eurostar terminus is about to be built.

It is thought that the teeth, which were crafted for him and feature gold springs, may have been bought from Parisian dentist Nicholas De Chemant.

Dillon, a colourful figure in French high society, became archbishop in 1763 but fled to England in 1791 to escape the guillotine during the French Revolution.

Museum of London archaeologist Natasha Powers is writing a paper on the dentures for the British Dental Journal.

She said that they represent "a pivotal time in dental history, with the adoption of new materials and methods of manufacture."