George Washington wore dentures because he had lost one tooth after another to extraction. As a boy, he had cracked walnut shells with his teeth and, as a result, many of them fell out before he was thirty!
George Washington’s Teeth Not Wood
Over the years, Washington wore several sets of false teeth. Even though many people today believe that these teeth were made out of wood, there is no proof that he ever had wooden teeth. His dentures were made of many things. They were often a combination of human teeth, animal teeth, and ivory. They were put together with wire and a spring, which allowed the dentures to open and close.
Behind George Washington’s Famous Portrait
Throughout his life, Washington had trouble speaking, chewing food, and smiling. He suffered from toothaches all his adult life, and his famous quick temper may have been the result of this pain. By the time of his inauguration in 1790, Washington had only one tooth, his lower left bicuspid. A hole in his lower denture allowed this natural tooth to stick out. When it was time for Washington to sit for his presidential painting, the artist, Gilbert Stuart, thought that his dentures were too short, making his cheeks and lips look sunken. He padded Washington’s cheeks and lips with cotton to restore the natural lines to his face. But instead of lookimg better, Washington has an overstuffed, grandmotherly appearance in his portrait.
Fortunately, modern dentistry now offers many restorative options without the pain.
From “Toothworms and Spider Juice: An illustrated History of Dentistry”- Loretta Frances Ichord, Millerbrook Press.
