A Founding Father's False Teeth

As children in American schools learn about their country's history and the figures who helped create the America they know and enjoy today, some of the details they may be learning have the potential to be myths or legends. In the instance of the first president of the United States, George Washington, a popular myth is that he wore wooden teeth. While the president did not wear wooden teeth, the real story behind the president's false teeth may seem more strange than the original myth.



America's first president did not have an easy time with dental hygiene. Though part of this was his own fault, many of the problems could be traced back to the lack of knowledge of dental hygiene and dentistry at the time. Different mouth rinses and tooth powders that were advertised to be beneficial to one's teeth were later found to frequently contain ingredients that actually had the ability to strip the enamel from teeth and poison the gums. Washington began losing his teeth around age 22 and by the time he took the office of President of the United States in 1789, he only had a single tooth left in his mouth. Some historians have theorized that the president's inaugural address was short because of the tremendous amount of pain he was in thanks to his poor dental health. Known to be a man of short fuse, some historians ponder the possibility of his dental pain to have contributed to his quick temper.

One set of George Washington's famous dentures.

Multiple dentists of the time period were known to have fashioned dentures for Washington over the span of his life. Though none were crafted from wood, many others contained human and cow teeth affixed in materials such as hippo ivory, gold, brass, or even lead. A pair of springs pushing against one another provided the pressure needed to keep the dentures in Washington's mouth. The first president was known to suffer much discomfort from the dentures and they were known to give his mouth a bulky appearance.


One of the only existing sets of George Washington's dentures are on display at his Mount Vernon estate. For more information on Washington's dental health and his array of dentures, check out this article from American Revolution. For additional information on how keep your teeth healthy, visit the official site of Dr. Larry James, D.D.S.; bringing the brightest smiles to Tulsa, OK and the surrounding areas.