False teeth, known today as "dentures", are bony plates installed in a patient's mouth by adhesion to the fleshy mandibular or maxillary arch . Although these products are relatively inexpensive today and their necessity is often taken for granted, they were not always so easy to obtain. A look at the history of false teeth shows a difficult and original evolution: although it is assumed that primitive versions of false teeth have existed since the 700s BC, the first concrete evidence of the existence of false teeth dates back to the 15th century. These were carved from bone or ivory, or made from random assortments of teeth dug up in cemeteries. However, these did not have a stand-alone method of attachment, but were instead attached to the remaining teeth by means of wire or silk. This attachment was visible to the observer, resulting in a smile that was not only extremely uncomfortable, but also unattractive. Thus, false teeth were originally intended to be used only to facilitate eating, and not for aesthetic purposes. The greatest flaw of these archaic devices was the fact that they were prone to decay in the mouth of the wearer. Thus, the installed false teeth would have to be replaced regularly, which would result in a very expensive procedure. However, this problem was solved in 1774 by Duchateau and Dubois de Chemant with their invention of the first complete set of dentures that did not rot. This was due to their porcelain composition, a material much more conducive to daily wear and tear on teeth. While an incredible improvement, even the porcelain version had its struggles. Unable to produce anything other than a complete set of teeth (surrounding porcelain was needed to hold each tooth in place), patients missing just one or two teeth were out of luck unless they were ready to have the rest of their teeth. also deleted. However, in 1808, Giuseppangelo Fonzi developed the first individual device: a single porcelain tooth that could be held in place by a pin drilled into the jaw. Finally, in 1845, Claudius Ash, known as the “official inventor of dentures,” produced the porcelain version used today. His contributions included a method of suction adhesion for a complete set of dentures, so that no form of attachment could be seen by a viewer..