“George Washington had wooden teeth.”

It is a widely held belief that America's first president, George Washington, sported a set of wooden teeth. While it is true that Washington endured significant dental struggles throughout his life and relied on dentures, the material used in their construction was far from simple timber. This persistent misconception has long overshadowed the fascinating, if somewhat unsettling, reality of 18th-century dentistry.

Historical evidence reveals that Washington's numerous sets of dentures were crafted from a surprising array of materials. His dental prosthetics included human teeth, often acquired from enslaved people or cadavers, alongside animal ivory sourced from hippopotamus, elephant, or walrus. These organic components were typically anchored with lead, gold, and metal springs, demonstrating a complex and costly approach to oral reconstruction for the time. The idea of wooden teeth likely stems from a misunderstanding of how these materials aged.

The enduring myth can be attributed to the appearance of the ivory used in his dentures. Over time, ivory, like natural teeth, would stain and discolor, particularly from consuming port wine and tobacco, both of which Washington enjoyed. This staining would have given the ivory a dark, grainy, and somewhat rough texture, leading observers to mistakenly believe they were made of wood. This visual misinterpretation, passed down through generations, solidified the popular, albeit incorrect, image of a president with wooden teeth.