Washington’s Dental Problems Led to the Defeat of the British Army…and More

In honor of George Washington’s 282nd birthday this February, we here at Lakeshore Family Dentistry want to put one of the oldest legends about the great General to rest—and that is that he had wooden teeth.

George Washington—the man with an iron constitution—suffered greatly from dental problems throughout his whole adult life. At age 24, Washington noted in his diary that he had a tooth removed by a “Doctor Watson” for five shillings. Later entries mention toothaches, tooth loss, inflamed gums, ill-fitting dentures and numerous other dental troubles.

However, despite what the above suggest, Washington was a great dental patient, one who invested in toothbrushes, teeth scrapers, denture files, toothache medications and cleaning solutions regularly…all to no avail.

BUT, were Washington’s teeth so bad that he required wooden dentures?

NO!

The wooden denture myth has been one of the most enduring tall-tales of our time, but sadly, it’s not true. Yes, Washington did have several sets of dentures, and it’s quite possible one set or another took on a “wooden look,” but none were actually constructed of the natural material. Some, however, WERE made up of bone, Hippopotamus ivory, human teeth, brass, lead and gold though…

Even though George Washington didn’t ever have wooden teeth, his smile remains folklore for a reason. As a matter of fact, did you know that Washington’s dental troubles led to the defeat of the British army in Yorktown on October 19th, 1781?...

There’s plenty more the general population doesn’t know. Learn more about our first President’s famous smile here: http://www.mountvernon.org/georgewashington/teeth

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