Levitt Ellsworth Custer was born on June 18, 1863, in Perrysville, Ohio. After attending local schools, he enrolled at Otterbein University, graduating in 1884. To help pay for college, he spent a year playing cornet with a traveling river circus band that journeyed from Cincinnati to New Orleans.

In 1885, Custer entered the Ohio College of Dental Surgery. During his junior year, a written examination was required for the first time, and his paper so impressed the faculty that he was awarded a scholarship. Upon graduation, he received two gold medals—one for Best General Examination and another for Best Attainments in Mechanical Dentistry—along with an honorable mention in Operative Dentistry.

Custer began practicing dentistry in 1887 in Springfield, Ohio, and the following year entered into a partnership in Dayton. Discovering that his partner was of “the quack type,” he quickly ended the arrangement and opened his own practice in August 1888. Alongside his dental work, he also experimented with new electrical devices to improve the field.

In 1890, Custer created the first electric gold annealer, which made it easier and faster for dentists to prepare gold for fillings and inlays. By 1893, he had developed a carbon arc light that allowed him to heat materials to 6,000 degrees, enabling him to work directly with platinum. His most acclaimed invention, however, was an electric porcelain oven. Previously, only a handful of dentists could use porcelain fillings, which required large coal ovens that took six to eight hours to heat. Custer’s compact, book-sized oven provided precise temperature control and made porcelain work practical for dentists everywhere. This innovation revolutionized prosthetic dentistry.

Beyond his inventive work, Custer also pursued ballooning. He owned and operated several balloons, the largest carrying up to five passengers, and in 1912 he piloted the “Cole” in the annual National Elimination Balloon Race.

As his reputation grew, Custer took on leadership roles within his profession. In 1892, he was appointed to the first Ohio State Dental Board by Governor William McKinley. He was elected president of the Ohio State Dental Association in 1896 and later served as president of the Dayton Dental Society in 1916–17.

Dr. Custer passed away on January 3, 1924, survived by his wife, Effie Zimmerman Custer, and his son, Levitt Luzern Custer. His funeral in Dayton was attended by representatives of national and state dental associations, a testament to his lasting influence on the profession.