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George Washington, the first President of the United States, lost all but one of his teeth by the time he was inaugurated, and had at least four sets of dentures he used throughout his life. Made with ivory brass and gold, they were primarily attended to by John Greenwood, Washington's dentist.
We know that George Washington participated in one purchase of teeth from unidentified enslaved persons at Mount Vernon. A record of this transaction is entered twice in George Washington’s financial records.
Though many still believe that George Washington had wooden teeth, America's first president actually wore dentures made of ivory, animal bones, and even human teeth that may have belonged to enslaved people.
George Washington’s teeth were ravaged by disease and primitive dental care. His first tooth was pulled when he was in his mid-twenties. By the time he was sworn in as president, at the age of fifty-seven, he had one tooth left. That soon got yanked out, too.
6. Washington bought human teeth from African Americans. Deep within one of Washington’s account books is an entry which details Washington’s purchase of nine teeth from “Negroes” for 122 shillings. Whether the teeth provided by the Mount Vernon enslaved persons were simply being sold to dentist Dr. Jean-Pierre Le Mayeur or whether they ...
By the time of his death, Washington had 317 living slaves, according to historians at Mount Vernon. In May 1784, he certainly purchased teeth (nine of them) from some of his slaves.
Collectively, these four dentures include: hippopotamus, walrus, and probably elephant ivory; cow, horse, and human teeth; lead, brass, silver, gold, and tiny wood pegs. Only two of the dentures (including the set at Mount Vernon) contain human teeth, for the incisors on the lower jaw.
