The story that George Washington had a set of wooden dentures is a myth, but the reality of the first president’s dental health is arguably much stranger and more upsetting.
Washington definitely did suffer from poor dental health for most of his lifetime. Thanks to the poor dental hygiene of his era, combined with his genetics, Washington began losing his teeth in his twenties. By the time he was sworn in as president, he had only one of his original teeth left.
During his lifetime, Washington did have several sets of false teeth, but none of them were made of wood. One theory for the origin of the wooden dentures story is that his surviving dentures became stained over time, giving them a wooden look.
Washington’s first set of false teeth was made of ivory and attached to his remaining teeth with wire. His later false teeth sets were made of lead, gold, and brass screws. Some of his denture sets were made with actual human teeth, and there’s evidence he obtained them from his own slaves. In his 1784 ledger, Washington recorded a payment of six pounds two shillings to his slaves for nine of their teeth.
