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Tooth Powder Box with 1749 Halfpenny
From the collection of National Museum of American History. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
The Copp family of Stonington, Connecticut used this small wooden box of vegetable tooth powder during the early 19th century. Vegetable tooth powder was an abrasive used for dental cleaning during the 18th and 19th century. Vegetable powders were mainly composed of powdered cereals mixed with potassium chloride, and sweetened with saccharine or mint. The vegetable powder was useful for its abrasive effects, but the starch from the cereals were detrimental to overall oral health.
National Museum of American History’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineTooth Powder Box with 1749 Halfpenny. 1825 - 1850. Copp Family. National Museum of American History, Gift of John Brenton Copp. CC0.
