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The Old West could be a very inhospitable place, often devoid of proper medical and dental care. When dental problems did arise, both Indians and settlers were forced to address them in a number of innovative ways.

American Indian Dental Cures

Gum disease and tooth decay were dealt with in Indian country by several means. One was the use of the medicine man, who was called in to exorcise the “diseased spirits” from the afflicted party.

Observing one such ceremony in 1855 was the Reverend William Leach, who wrote of a Pawnee medicine man who “danced around the patient in a semicircle, rattling a gourd…He took a small stone knife and cut an ‘x’ on Running Wolf’s cheek, directly over the throbbing tooth. He sucked at the cut lightly…pretended to draw out the fang…then dashed it into the fire. ‘The Evil Spirits cannot use it again,’ he said triumphantly!”

In a more scientific vein, the Indians also employed various herbs, roots and grasses which were sometimes heated and then placed on the offending tooth much like an analgesic salve.

Dental Patent Medicines: Alcohol, Heroin, Cocaine  

Settlers employed several avenues in dealing with their dental problems. Many opted for the do-it-yourself method, seeking relief through the myriad of patent medicines that were religiously hawked throughout the West.

“Many dental patent medicines contained acids, abrasive substances, alcohol and/or narcotics, such as heroin, cocaine and morphine,” reports The Journal of the History of Dentistry (November 2000). One such product, the journal notes, was Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup – “intended to quiet a fretful child during the teething process” – but which “contained generous levels of alcohol and morphine sulfate which could cause coma, addiction or death in an infant.”

Dental Quack Devices

In addition to the often-dangerous patent medicines, an array of dental quack devices were also used by settlers. One of the more popular products of the era was Dr. Scott’s Electric Tooth Brush, whose special handle was purportedly “charged with an electromagnetic current, which acts…immediately upon the nerves and tissues of the teeth and gums…arresting decay…and restoring the natural whiteness of the enamel.”

Dr. Scott’s contraption of course was an outright fraud, bearing no resemblance to today’s multifaceted electric toothbrushes.

Pulling Teeth Old West Style

Extraction was the mainstay of Old West dental treatment. Offending teeth were pulled by anyone who could reasonably handle a pair of tongs. The list included barbers, blacksmiths, druggists, physicians and at least one famous author – Jack London.

Old West Dental Technology

A number of modern dental practices did emerge in the Old West as a result of advancing technology. If one were fortunate enough to find such a practice, it probably would have featured the following: a reclining chair, an array of dental instruments, a self-cleaning spittoon, a foot-treadle or electric-powered drill, and a canister for the anesthetic nitrous oxide.

Doc Holliday Dentist and Gunfighter

Famed gunfighter John Henry “Doc” Holliday (1851-1887) was undoubtedly the Old West’s most famous dentist. Holliday was, in fact, a trained professional, earning his DDS degree in 1872 from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery.

One of Holliday’s greatest accomplishments took place during his first year of dental school. Here he fashioned a swaged gold crown for a six-year-old girl which reportedly lasted until 1967 when the patient died at age 102. Also during that first year the young Holliday performed 38 tooth extractions and 32 fillings.

Following graduation, Doc Holliday moved to Dallas, Texas, where he opened his own dental practice at 56 Elm Street. By most accounts, Holliday proved to be a highly skilled, though largely unsuccessful, dentist of his day. Beset by illness (pulmonary tuberculosis), alcohol abuse and gambling woes, the 36-year-old Holliday died in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on November 8, 1887.  

Gunfighter Clay Allison’s Dental Nightmare

Old West dentistry could be dangerous for both patient and practitioner. In Wyoming Territory in 1886, notorious gunfighter Clay Allison, aggrieved that a dentist had mistakenly extracted the wrong tooth, later returned to the scene of the “crime.” Here the maniacal Allison grabbed a pair of forceps and proceeded to pull out one of the doctor’s own molars. Allison was prevented from doing any further harm when a group of passing men responded to the dentist’s frantic calls for help.