{"id":851,"date":"2016-07-18T17:03:30","date_gmt":"2016-07-18T17:03:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/did-george-washington-have-wooden-teeth-a-brief-history-of-dentures\/"},"modified":"2023-07-24T12:08:50","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T12:08:50","slug":"did-george-washington-have-wooden-teeth-a-brief-history-of-dentures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedentalexpress.com\/dental-blog\/george-washington-wooden-dentures\/","title":{"rendered":"Did George Washington Have Wooden Teeth? A Brief History of Dentures"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

Did George Washington Have Wooden Teeth:<\/strong> We cannot tell a lie— there are a lot of myths and legends celebrating our country\u2019s first president. Even the lovely anecdote about chopping down the cherry tree is of questionable accuracy. One thing is true\u201418th century dentistry left a lot to be desired. When Washington was president, he had only one natural tooth left and had a set of dentures. These dentures were made of several materials, but wood was not one of them. By taking a look at the fascinating history of dentures, we can appreciate the marvel of modern dental technology.<\/p>\n

What were Washington\u2019s teeth made from?<\/h2>\n

Despite the lack of sophisticated general dentistry, neither Washington nor any others at the time had wooden teeth. Wood was not a practical building material. Dentures at the time were made using a combination of ivory, bone, lead, cow teeth and even human teeth. That may sound bizarre, but it was not unusual at the time for people to buy and sell human teeth. Washington\u2019s teeth were primarily made of ivory. Some historians believe Washington\u2019s fondness for dark wine caused the ivory to heavily stain, giving the impression that the teeth were made of wood. You can even view a picture of them at the\u00a0Smithsonian website.<\/a><\/p>\n

Brief history<\/a>\u00a0of dentures<\/h2>\n

As far back as 166 AD, the Etruscans— an ancient civilization in Corsica, Italy–were creating dental gold crowns<\/a> and bridges as a primitive precursor to dentures. Wooden dentures did exist\u2014they just weren\u2019t worn in Washington\u2019s time.<\/strong>\u00a0In the 16th century, Japanese craftsmen created wooden dentures that were meticulously carved to match a beeswax impression taken of the patient\u2019s teeth. The first evidence of general dentistry and dentures arose from Frenchman Pierre Fauchard, who wrote a comprehensive book on dental treatment in 1723. It included the first instructions on creating and placing dentures. In 1789, Nicolas Dubois de Chemant of France received the first patent for porcelain teeth.\u00a0A breakthrough in denture creation arose in 1864 by Charles Goodyear<\/strong>\u00a0(does that name ring a bell?) Goodyear invented vulcanization, a process that hardens rubber. The resulting material was called vulcanite and could easily be molded into the mouth, creating a more comfortable base for dentures. Vulcanite was affordable and paved the way for future denture development. Today, modern dentures have an acrylic or metal base complemented with acrylic teeth and gum tissue\u2014a far cry from wood, ivory and animal teeth!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Who needs dentures?<\/h2>\n

Dentures are a good solution for those who have lost several teeth.<\/a>\u00a0They do much more than help with eating\u2014they help speech, improve appearance, and support the lips and facial muscles. They also help with speech, appearance and digestive health. Dentures are also a great help for tooth injuries if the emergency has caused several teeth to be knocked out or there was extensive damage.<\/p>\n

Common causes of tooth loss include:<\/h2>\n