Debunked Myths

The image of George Washington grimacing with a mouthful of wooden teeth is a classic American legend. It seems to perfectly capture the austerity and ruggedness of the founding era, explaining the stiff, pained expression in his famous portraits. This myth has been sanding down the harsh realities of 18th-century dentistry for generations, offering a quaint, almost folksy explanation for the first president's dental woes.

The truth, however, is far more grim and complex. Washington suffered from debilitating dental problems his entire adult life, likely due to disease and the mercury-based calomel he was given for smallpox. By his inauguration, he had only one natural tooth left. His dentures were not wood, but rather horrifying contraptions crafted from hippopotamus ivory, gold, lead, and springs. Most disturbingly, they incorporated human teeth, some purportedly purchased from enslaved people at Mount Vernon.

The wooden teeth myth likely arose because the porous ivory would absorb saliva and stain from wine and food, taking on a dark, grainy, wood-like appearance over time. The myth is more palatable than the historical reality, which involves the pain of 18th-century dentistry without anesthesia and the moral stain of using human teeth from the enslaved. This falsehood endures because it sanitizes a more uncomfortable truth. We prefer the simple, slightly humorous story of wooden choppers to the complex, painful, and ethically troubling reality of Washington's actual dental history.