S. B. Seymour advertised his services as a 'surgeon dentist' in the Christchurch Star in 1878. He combined the extraction of decayed teeth with customised false teeth in gold, silver, alloy and vulcanite. The availability of vulcanite (processed rubber) from the mid-19th century made false teeth available to ordinary people who could not previously afford false teeth. The vulcanite base for a full set of the cheapest false teeth was moulded to fit a particular patient's palate and gums. The rubber was light and very durable, but its colour did not resemble human gums. A thin layer of lighter-pink porcelain was used to cover up the dark red vulcanite, and porcelain teeth were then inserted in the vulcanite base.