Assortment of Toothkeys: Handles are ivory, wood, ebony and bone. Straight shafts are the earlier type (approximately, 1760). Some were made with removable handle (center), the handle being used as an elevator; or folding handle (lower center) for easy transportation. The bend and double bend in the shaft were designed to prevent strain on adjacent teeth. Toothkeys were first developed, approximately, 1740 and so called because the earliest ones looked exactly like a 'key' of that period.