115

A postcard mailed in Prague in 1901.

If the toothache drops don't cure the problem, one may have to result to tooth

extraction. George McCombs invented a scary corkscrew like device for this purpose:

George F. McCombs of

Connersville, Indiana applied

for a patent for his

―

Dental Tool

for Extracting Lower Molars on

October 25, 1920.

He likens his tool to a

corkscrew with

―

Upon

swinging the instrument

toward the anterior of the jaw,

the sharp and substantially

pointed edge 18 of the cutting

member cuts back toward the

root, while the pointed end of

the lever is forced down on the

buccal side of the tooth in such

a position that by giving a twist

to the instrument in the manner of a

cork screw

, the lever will lift and pry the tooth

loose and cause it to be twisted and forced out of the jaw bone.

‖

Just like taking a cork out of a bottle!

U. S. Patent No. 1,389,954 was granted September 6, 1921.