George Washington's Teeth-- A President's Day Lesson

One of many sets of George 
Washington's dentures.
Courtesy of the New York Academy of Medicine

George Washington’s Wooden Teeth

by Harvey Craft

George Washington's teeth have been the topic of controversy and legend for over two centuries. The popular tale is that his false teeth were made of wood. Not so.

The Father of his Country owned several sets of dentures, but none were made of wood. He was tall, proper, and charismatic, but suffered from dental problems for his adult life at a time in history when dentistry was, at best, an inexact science and often a practice to be avoided. 

People cleaned their teeth in a variety of ways – chewing wood, mouth washes, flossing with horsehair, scrubbing with salt, powders, etc. Many neglected dental hygiene. Dental problems in Washington’s era could lead to severe, intractable pain. His accounts left in letters and other writings portray the dental miseries and dentistry of the time.

Washington’s Early Dental Problems

Washington was a strong and athletic leader of great physical and emotional strength, but he undoubtedly suffered great pain as a result of poor dental health. The basics of dental hygiene were known in his day and Washington apparently tried to take care of his teeth, by brushing daily, using mouthwashes, and seeking dental care. Despite his efforts, he suffered frequent infections possibly related to his teeth.

Washington began to lose teeth in his early twenties – extractions continued on a regular basis for the next twenty years. Ironically, the physicians of his day may have been largely responsible for much of his agony and tooth loss, as they used a mercury compound – to treat various medical problems from which Washington suffered. Unfortunately, mercury weakens and even destroys tooth enamel. On the day of Washington’s first inauguration he had only one natural tooth. Smiling revealed his dental issues, so he usually remained glum.

Abscessed and infected gums became an accepted part of Washington’s life contributing to his occasional quick temper and reluctance to smile. The several dentures that Washington owned were typically ill-fitting and uncomfortable. There was no single design, but wood was not used in any of them. One set even contained several human teeth – his own previous from previous extractions that he saved and teeth purchased from slave. Various other components of Washington’s dentures included gold and hippopotamus ivory, and springs. The dentures were primarily cosmetic as Washington generally had to eat soft food due to pain caused by the poorly fitting dentures.

Washington Suffered from Disfiguration as Well as Pain

Washington’s face was frequently swollen from infections, one severe enough to result in cause a small hole in his left check that left a permanent scar. Artists of the day portrayed Washington inconsistently depending on the distortion caused by dentures, infection or both.

It is a credit to Washington that he was able to manage the unrelenting pain and effectively lead the Continental Army and the nation as president. He managed to keep his dental nightmares concealed from people, but the British stole a letter of his revealing the problems. Apparently, they did not release the information.

Washington suffered from various health issues most of his life. He endured pain from bad dentistry and in the end died from the ancient practice of “bleeding” while sick. He likely died of blood loss.