Human history is full of bizarre trade networks built upon the pain and loss of others. Yet, what happened regarding dental health and aesthetics in mid 19th century Europe, specifically in Victorian England, remains one of history's least known black markets.
In those years, with the rise in sugar consumption, tooth decay spread rapidly, and a flawless, white smile became the ultimate status symbol for the aristocracy. For someone who had lost their own teeth, the only way to get dentures was to have those teeth extracted from another healthy human being. Initially, these teeth were purchased for meager sums from the poor or from prisoners. However, the demand grew so large that this "supply and demand" balance quickly spun out of control.
With the surge in demand, history's most macabre supply chain came into play: the battlefields. Following the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, scavengers and dentists made streets and fields their home. Rushing to cemeteries and fields immediately after the battle, looters began pulling healthy teeth out of the mouths of dead soldiers using pliers and forceps. These spoils, dubbed "Waterloo teeth," were cleaned, sorted, and shipped in large crates to dental laboratories in London and Paris.
No one at the time wanted to think that the sleek dental prosthetics shining in the mouths of wealthy lords and ladies might actually be the painful memories of young soldiers who perished on the front lines. In fact, this situation had become so normalized that it was known for newspapers to run direct advertisements reading, "Fresh battlefield teeth have arrived."
History is full of bizarre examples of how far humanity can go when aesthetic concerns and the thirst for wealth collide.
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