This early 20th Century dental office was without plumbing or electricity,
and typical of those used in the late 19th century.
Dr. Zeller graduated from the University of Kansas in 1900. Early in 1902, he moved to Progresso, Yucatan Mexico, where he practiced dentistry for four or five years. The reason he went there was to earn a living, since the town that he went to was a coastal town. Many immigrants were arriving by boat, and many of these people got sea sick and dropped not only there dentures overboard, but their glasses as well. As a result when they arrived they needed teeth and glasses. Dr. Zeller made both.
Dr. Zeller use the items in this office up till 1906, to include S.S. White foot powered dental drill and a variety of instruments for filling and extracting teeth. Filling materials were silver alloy, mercury and gold foil, and other items as anesthetic syringes, impression trays and mold for making denture teeth. A large variety of medicines and cements used by Dr. Zeller are present in bottles and other containers. Other items include his bankbook, record book, dental school class directory, and paid bills.
This entire dental office was originally purchased by Dr. Richard Glenner of Chicago Illinois in the 1970's . Dr. Glenner designed a period room in his dental office to display the Zeller items, allowing his friends and patients to see how a dentist practiced early in the late I9th century.
In 1978, the office was loaned to General Electric. They built an exhibit around it and exhibited it at dental meetings around the country. It was quite sensational to see an antique dental office on the exhibit floor of the many dental manufactures. In recent years, it was used in a TV documentary shown on PBS Television station and was narrated by actor Alan Alda.
In 2002, knowing the antique dental office was for sale, Dr. Robert Ibsen, President of Den-Mat corporation in Santa Maria California purchase the exhibit from Dr. Glenner. Dr. Ibsen, is a Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, then donated the entire exhibit to the Pierre Fauchard Academy, with the expressed wishes it be place in the new UNLV School of Dental Medicine. The exhibit was shipped to Las Vegas, and underwent restoration, bringing the entire dent al exhibit up to museum quality.
Nevada dentists , many who are also fellows in the Pierre Fauchard Academy and other interested dental practitioners outside of Nevada, along with friends of the dental profession made generous donations, that were used to build the two exhibits at the school.
This antique dental exhibit is the second of its kind to be located in Las Vegas. The first antique dental exhibit was established at the Community College of Southern Nevada in 2000. This extensive exhibit is located on the Charleston Campus of the College at Charleston and Torrey Pines avenues, in the waiting area, Building A, Dental Hygiene Programs. This exhibit has been featured in the local newspaper and was on the 5:00 pm news broad cast, during the Centennial Celebration of founding of the city of Las Vegas.
The Pierre Fauchard Academy is a International Honor Society, and its members who are dentists, are bestowed a Fellowship in the Academy for their many contributions to the profession of dentistry and their community. Fellowship in the Academy is by inviation only. Through its Foundation of the Academy, the Foundation provides grants that are awarded to worthy dental students and other enties that serve the local community providing dental care to those in need. Foundation grants are awarded Internationally and in the United States.
Pierre Fauchard was a dentist who lived in France in the 16th Century, and he wrote the first text book on dentistry. He is consider the Father of Dentistry and many of his techniques are still taught in dental schools throughout the world.
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