Antique false teeth go on display

The teeth are being displayed to coincide with World Smile Day

A 200-year-old pair of French false teeth are going on display for the first time at the Museum of London.

The 18th Century teeth, which belonged to the Archbishop of Narbonne, who died in 1806, were found in his coffin after an archaeologists' dig in London.

They were digging at St Pancras graveyard ahead of building work on the Channel Tunnel's new rail terminus.

The porcelain dentures, which were still sitting in Arthur Richard Dillon's mouth, feature gold springs.

It is thought he may have bought them from top Parisian dentist Nicholas De Chemant.

Dillon, who was ordained as Archbishop of Narbonne in 1763, escaped the guillotine during the French Revolution before fleeing to England in 1791.

Museum of London archaeologist Natasha Powers said: "These unique artefacts reflect a pivotal time in dental history with the adoption of new materials and methods of manufacture.

"They also represent a period of significant social and economic change for the upper echelons of French society."

The teeth are being put on display from Friday to coincide with World Smile Day.