Gnathograph: The Uncomfortable-Looking Device Was Used to Measure the Fit of Artificial Teeth From the 1930s

Designed to help measure a patient’s teeth and the direction of bite, the gnathograph was developed by Dr. Beverly McCollum in the 1930s.

The device measures how the teeth are aligned to help guide a dentist in optimizing a patient’s bite pattern. Fitted to the jaws as shown below, the device registers the arrangement of the teeth and the direction of the “bite,” to guide the dentist in straightening teeth or fitting inlays, crowns, bridges, and plates.