Can a woman (or for that matter a man) go out on Shabbat with a false tooth made of gold? Rabbi Yehudah the Prince allows it, but the Sages forbid it. What are their reasons?
The Sages say that a woman may show her tooth to her companions, then forget and carry it. Rabbi Yehudah says that this is not such an outstanding show-and-tell item. Alternatively, the Sages' concern is that people will ridicule her, and she will take it out, and then carry. Again, Rabbi Yehudah, in this explanation, does not consider a golden tooth to be an object of ridicule. None of these reasons apply to a silver tooth, and certainly to a naturally-looking tooth.
Women residing in Arabia often wore headcloths that would wrap their head; though unusual, it is a garment, and therefore may be worn on Shabbat. Similarly, Median women used to fasten their cloaks with stones; normally considered “muktzeh”, set aside from use on Shabbat, a stone is allowed as part of clothing. In fact, this all is allowed for any person, but the rulings are given in terms of prevalent custom.
Art: C. Durif-Bedel - The False Teeth Workshop
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