George Washington ‘s false teeth were not wooden, as you may have heard. One of the most enduring myths about George Washington is that his dentures were made of wood. Give the gift of knowledge with our official 'did you know' book! As early as 1700, dentures were being made of a variety of natural materials including the ivory of walrus, elephant, and hippopotamus tusks. They were actually made from a variety of materials, including human teeth. The story of Washington's dental woes resonates even today because of the legacy of slavery and continuing debates over America's founding and the Founding Fathers' place in history. Also included was gold metal wire and springs, and brass screws. 1 George Washington Ledger B, 1772-1793, May 8, … In one version of the ‘Wooden Teeth’ myth, it is said that Washington sat under a tree and carved the wooden teeth himself. And It's Packed with Hundreds of Thousands of Baby Squid. New York, An 18th Century guide for tooth restoration. As historian John Smith, Jr. wrote in the Journal of the American Revolution: “George Washington never had wooden teeth, nor did anybody of his time. They were made out of hippopotamus ivory and cow's tooth, carved by hand, and held in his mouth with metal springs. As art historian Jennifer Van Horn explains: According to George Washington’s ledger, on May 8, 1784, he paid 6 pounds 2 shillings to “Negros for 9 Teeth on Acct of Dr Lemoin”. [Map of the Birthplaces of the Presidents (Infographic)]. Washington sacrificed his health in dedication to public service – he experienced pretty significant pain and discomfort related to these dentures. Washington’s Teeth Were Never Made of Wood George Washington owned many sets of dentures. Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate Photo Credit: Wikimedia. Surviving newspapers feature ads by Le Mayeur seeking people willing to have their teeth pulled for cash; one, from Richmond in 1785, offers two guineas per front tooth, "slaves excepted." Many people believe George Washington's false teeth were made of wood but they were actually made of a combination of human / animal teeth along with ivory and gold. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. There's no way to be sure that the nine teeth bought from the slaves ended up in the dentures, Gehred said, but it's possible that Washington and a dentist struck a deal in which Washington would buy teeth at cut-rate prices from the people he owned in order to bring down the overall cost of the dentures. In 1772 Dr. Baker of Philadelphia extracted several. A hippopotamus had its ivory used to make Washington’s teeth. Please refresh the page and try again. In fact, they were made of ivory and human teeth. Photo Credit: Facebook, Dental Associates of Maple Shade. As you can see, not wooden.Photo Credit: Facebook, Dental Assistant Hub. Here, they are on display at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. George Washington Didn’t Have Wooden Teeth—They Were Ivory Washington’s teeth were made of a lot of things, but not wood George Washington's only … The now fully discredited story of Washington’s wooden teeth does, however, have a slight shred of truth to it. When he became president in 1789, he had only one tooth, a single premolar. In a letter to Washington in 1798, Greenwood wrote him regarding a particular set of dentures sent to him: “The sett you sent me from philadelphia…was very black…Port wine being sower takes off all the polish.”. The combination of human and animal teeth in the contraption was not uncommon. Historians suspect it was due to a combination of bad genes and even worse 18th-century dentistry. Lemoire." While he never carved his own teeth, it is true, however, that he would often make repairs to dentures that were originally crafted by Greenwood. At that rate, the nine teeth bought from Washington's slaves should have cost 19 British pounds, Gehred said. Finally, George had to have false teeth made. Washington wore dentures throughout his entire presidency. Naturally, there is a great deal of myth and legend associated with these men – none more so than George Washington. Our skimmable newsletter is delivered to your inbox each week, giving you 5 things you need to read and get smarter. Contrary to popular mythology, George Washington's dentures were not made of wood One of the most enduring myths about George Washington is that his dentures were made of wood . Stephanie Pappas - Live Science Contributor At one time, he had false teeth with a special hole so the one tooth he still had could poke through. Our founding fathers are often viewed as larger than life, other-worldly type figures who flew into battle on the backs of bald eagles to free America from British tyranny. Personally, however, Washington was a slave owner, and a standard one of his time, Gehred said: He bought and sold people, tried to chase them down when they ran away and, when he was living in the abolitionist city of Philadelphia, used legal loopholes to keep his slaves from meeting residency requirements that would have granted them freedom. [9] [10] It was difficult for him to talk or to eat. NO ONE. None of them were wooden (because how would that even work?). Slowly but surely all of Washington's teeth were extracted. It is also important to note that the ‘Wooden Teeth’ myth remains the only myth connected to a major Founder that highlights a physical frailty or issue. None of them were wooden (because how would that even work?). Facebook, Dental Associates of Maple Shade. "George Washington probably gave his inaugural speech with teeth that were from people who were enslaved," Gehred told Live Science. The Baltimore museum proudly displays Washington's dentures, which are made not of wood, but of a more exotic and lasting material: hippopotamus ivory. According to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Washington's documents show that he purchased toothbrushes and tooth powders beginning at least in his early 20s, but to no avail. Another set of Washington’s dentures, these ones stained pretty bad. By 1781, Washington was wearing partial dentures, and by 1789, he had only one tooth left in his mouth. George Washington's teeth started falling out when he was about 22 years old, and he had only one tooth left by the time he became president. Washington paid only about 6 pounds. During his presidency, Washington was politically ambivalent about slavery; he signed some legislation, like the Slave Trade Act, that attempted to put some limits on the institution in the United States, but he also signed into law the Fugitive Slave Act, which allowed slave owners the right to come into slavery-free states to capture fugitive slaves. In the same year, a notable dentist who practiced in New York City called Dr. John Greenwood made a denture for Washington from carved hippopotamus ivory, human teeth and brass nails. According to the accounting record in Mount Vernon’s Ledger Book B, the teeth may have been pulled from Washington’s slaves. NY 10036. Nevertheless, by the time he was inaugurated as president in 1789, Washington only had a single natural tooth left. Instead, they were made of many different materials, including brass, lead, gold, hippopotamus ivory, bone, and even human teeth. Portrait of Washington at the time of his inauguration…only one tooth in his head. Despite the legend of his physical strength, Washington’s failing teeth were a consistent source of suffering for him throughout his life. The majority of Mount Vernons one million visitors per year, one presumes, pause to stare a… One of the most popular historical exhibits at Mount Vernon, originally the estate of the first President of the United States and now a monument to his life and legacy, is a set of the great mans dentures. Washington would even reuse his own previously pulled teeth in his dentures. Photo Credit: Facebook, Joseph Iannacone. "Dr. Lemoire," Gehred said, was a reference to Dr. Jean Le Mayeur, one of Washington's dentists, with whom he subsequently corresponded about purchasing a set of dentures. Army officer's secret journal could offer new clues about the UFO crash in Roswell in 1947, Child's bones buried 40,000 years ago solve long-standing Neanderthal mystery, 1,800-year-old altar to pagan god Pan hidden in a Byzantine church, Ancient Egyptian hoard of counterfeit 'dirty money' unearthed, Archaeologists find vast network of Amazon villages laid out like the cosmos, Gold coin stash from time of Henry VIII found in English garden. Also, the size and composition of them led to some odd facial distortions, evidenced by his closed mouth and tight lips in virtually every portrait. By the time of his death, Washington had 317 living slaves, according to historians at Mount Vernon. Throughout his diary entries, he regularly talked about his aching teeth, swollen gums, ill-fitting dentures, and myriad other issues related to his mouth. … Nothing to do with the wood, of course, but related to stories that were told about Washington spending time working on his own dentures. Human-Size Blob Drifts by Divers. During his lifetime, he had at least four sets of dentures made to replace them. By It is widely documented that Washington used a variety of full and partial dentures throughout his life. What might have led people to believe that Washington’s teeth were made from wood was the brownish stain on his denture teeth, which was most likely the … You will receive a verification email shortly. It would have been kind of dumb to make teeth out of wood when better materials were available.”. Learn more about his teeth and who made … Discovering that Washington’s teeth weren’t wooden got me thinking about the origins of dentures. Though he did indeed own and use false teeth they were actually made from several different materials, up to and including gold, lead, silver, ivory and even the teeth of human beings and animals. George Washington’s Mount Vernon has discontinued the sale of a magnet depicting the first president’s false teeth, which critics say came from teeth pulled from his slaves’ mouths. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. These natural materials still decayed, however, so folks were often left with a second set of decaying teeth. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. By 1781, Washington was wearing partial dentures, and by 1789, he had only one tooth left in his mouth. It’s quite possible that some of his dentures, particularly after they had been stained, took on a wooden complexion, but wood was never used in the construction of any of his dental fittings. When George Washington was inaugurated for his first term as president in 1789, he had only one natural tooth remaining and was wearing his first full set of dentures made by John Greenwood. © 03 March 2018. One of the most enduring Washingtonian myths is the commonly held belief that George Washington had wooden teeth. Photo Credit: Wikimedia. Since a smile with a single tooth and a whole lot of gums wasn’t the most presidential look, Washington wore dentures. But they were made of some weird materials, including human, cow, and horse teeth, ivory, lead-tin alloy, and silver. In fact, Washington had multiple sets of dentures, and they were made of ivory, metal alloys and — most disturbingly — the teeth of other humans, quite possibly slaves. Washington suffered from dental issues his entire life. Now, back to the wood. Visit our corporate site. Looters sorted teeth to make attractive matched sets for sale, and early dental professionals boiled and shaped them to fit ivory dental plates. American President George Washington's teeth began to fall out before he reached the age of 30, and he eventually lost them all. After having the teeth pulled, he would immediately require they be mailed to his dentist to be put to good use. In fact, Washington had multiple sets of dentures, and they were made of ivory, metal alloys and — most disturbingly — the teeth of other humans, quite possibly slaves. An … Luckily, by 1832 the British Anatomy Act made it illegal to transport human bodies, and the popularity of human dentures began to steadily decline. Additionally, deep within one of Washington’s Mount Vernon account books is record of a transaction showing that Washington purchased 9 real teeth from ‘Negroes’ for 122 shillings. In May 1784, he certainly purchased teeth (nine of them) from some of his slaves. The wealthiest folks had their dentures made using human teeth – which, believe it or not, were a hot commodity at the time. There was a problem. Dr. Dr. Dentures worn by George Washington are not made of wood, as one tale suggested. His first tooth was pulled in 1756, when he was just 24. Greenwood had made a set of dentures that had used springs made from gold and screws made from brass. As we celebrate the nation's founding, it's a good time to note the heroism of (Image credit: Gerry Broome/AP/REX/Shutterstock), notation in his ledger book on the "credit" side, Map of the Birthplaces of the Presidents (Infographic). He DID have dentures, due to some pretty horrific dental issues, but they most certainly were not made from wood. As early as age 24, Washington was getting his teeth yanked. These teeth were quite possibly purchased at cut-rate prices from slaves or, in the very best case, from desperately poor people, said Kathryn Gehred, a research specialist at the University of Virginia who has written about Washington’s teeth. A set of ivory dentures from 1801 using human teeth for the front teeth.Photo Credit: Wikimedia. A notation in his ledger book on the "credit" side says "By Cash pd Negroes for 9 Teeth on Acct of Dr. All of them caused Washington extreme discomfort, they were also all terrifying to look at. Photo Credit: Facebook. oral history Even dentures made of hippo ivory and human teeth couldn’t solve George Washington’s dental problems The British were a pain for the … Contrary to myth, they were not made of wood; they were technological marvels of their day, crafted of lead, brass, gold, and steel springs. A surprising fact about Washington is that when he became president in 1789 he only had 1 tooth left. It's also just as false. "It's grim.". But they were made of some weird materials, including Perhaps the belief that Washington had dentures made out of wood, as opposed to the technologically advanced and expensive dentures he did wear, helped to make him more common and accessible to the average person. These predated dentures made of aluminum, rubber, and porcelain, but they were never made of wood. The only explanation historians can come up with to explain the source of the ‘wooden denture’ myth is that, after months of usage, his dentures would become stained and take on an appearance similar to woodgrain due to little microfractures in the ivory or bone. According to Kathryn Gehred, researcher at the University of Virginia, “they were actually made from a variety of materials, including human teeth.” Welp, human teeth, even weirder than wood, in my opinion. That year, he started wearing full sets of dentures made from ivory and human teeth. These teeth were quite possibly purchased at cut-rate prices from slaves or, in the very best case, from desperately poor people, said Kathryn Gehred, a research specialist at the University of Virginia who has written about Washington's teeth. Previously he had had partial dentures which were held in place by hooking them around the remaining teeth. Wooden teeth were for poor people, and George Washington was a VERY wealthy man, meaning he could afford (and owned) dentures made of gold, ivory, and even hippopotamus teeth! The myth of George Washington's wooden chompers is as enduring as the tall tale of the time the young future president chopped down a cherry tree and came clean about his crime. Washington’s dentist, John Greenwood, told him he was supposed to clean them daily…but George liked his wine. One set of Washington's dentures, containing human teeth from an unknown mouth or mouths, remains in the collection at Mount Vernon. It balances the imposing status of the man presented in other myths like the ‘Cherry Tree’ legend, and humanizes a man who we otherwise place on an untouchable pedestal. Dentures worn by George Washington are not made of wood, as one tale suggested. Washington wore many partial and full dentures over the course of his life, but contrary to popular belief, none were made out of wood. A common misconception is that George Washington owned a set of wooden dentures. Or perhaps people just sometimes get weird ideas. "The fact is, these are people who are desperate enough that they are selling their teeth to a dentist, and they're not being paid as much as a white person," Gehred said. Historians aren’t sure if Washington was using these teeth for his dentures, or was a part of a blackmarket tooth smuggling ring…but it’s an interesting part of the story nonetheless. These are Washington’s actual dentures. Thank you for signing up to Live Science. Researchers hoping to dispel George Washington's image as a stiff-jawed, boring old man have made some interesting discoveries about his famous false teeth. 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