George Washington
A popular myth tells us that George Washington had dentures made of wood.
Sorry, it’s not true. But it is true that America’s first president suffered from teeth problems throughout his adult life. When he was inaugurated as America’s first president in 1789, Dr. John Greenwood had been able to save one of the former general’s teeth from extraction. That’s right. Our first president was sworn into office with only one tooth in his mouth. Dr. Greenwood finally had to pull the last tooth in 1796.
Washington had several sets of dentures. Though none of them were wooden, one was made of hippopotamus ivory, another of human teeth. Others used bone, gold wire, copper screws and even lead.
It seems that Washington may have used his dental problems to help win the Revolutionary War. In 1781, A French dentist, named Jean-Pierre Le Mayeur, grew disgusted with the way the British officers were talking about the alliance between America and the French. He fled British controlled New York and made his way into the American camp. Once the Americans had confirmed the dentist’s sincerity, General Washington contacted the doctor to use his services.
Though Washington was a very private person, later he sent a letter to his dentist requesting dental cleaning tools for his own oral hygiene. In that letter, he mentioned casually that he would not be able to make it to Philadelphia any time soon. Thus, he requested that equipment should be sent by mail to him just outside New York.
The packet containing the dental letter was intercepted by the British and sent to the area commander, Sir Henry Clinton—Le Mayeur’s former patient. Clinton was convinced that Washington would not be taking his forces south to Yorktown, so he did not do anything to reinforce Lord Cornwallis and his forces there. The ruse worked and Washington’s forces easily defeated British forces at Yorktown, October 19, 1781, all because of a letter to Washington’s dentist.
Abraham Lincoln
In September 1841, Lincoln had a tooth extracted. The dentist wrestled that tooth with such force that it broke Lincoln’s jaw. And that was without anesthesia! Afterward, it was said that Lincoln was afraid of dentists. Who wouldn’t be after such a painful experience?
But in 1862, President Lincoln developed such a toothache that he sought the services of a nearby dentist named Dr. G. S. Wolf. At Wolf’s office near the White House, as the dentist was about to extract the tooth, Lincoln asked him to wait a moment. Then, the president pulled a bottle of chloroform from his coat, opened it, took a deep whiff, and then motioned groggily for the dentist to proceed.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Former general of Allied forces during World War II, Ike Eisenhower was America’s president throughout most of the 50s. While visiting Palm Springs, California, February 20, 1954, President Eisenhower lost the cap on one of his front teeth while eating a chicken wing.
Because he was a five-star general during the war, and then president of the United States, his dental records tell of many problems with the cap on that tooth.
He received emergency treatment for the lost cap, spending the better part of his Saturday night at the dentist. This unusual trip led to many false reports and rumors concerning the president’s disappearance from public view. One Associate Press report stated that the president had died of a heart attack. Later, when the dentist who performed the repair died without leaving a record of the visit, some imaginative people declared that the dental visit was merely a cover story. According to them, President Eisenhower had visited Edwards Air Force Base to talk to aliens from another world.
References:
Anderson, Jon. (12/6/1992). “Smile, Mr. President: A Dental Detective Reveals Why Some Have Resisted.” Retrieved on 2/19/2017 from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-12-06/features/9204210345_1_dental-care-dentist-dental-problems
DentalCosmeticSpa.com. (7/12/2015). “Everyone Has Dental Problems: X Presidents Who Had Dental Problems.” Retrieved on 2/19/2017 from http://dentalcosmeticspa.com/dental-information/everyone-has-dental-problems-x-presidents-who-had-dental-problems/
EndodonticsJournal.com. (5/21/2008). “Dental history of U.S. presidents.” Retrieved on 2/19/2017 from http://endodonticsjournal.com/blogs/7/Dental-history-of-US-presidents.html%3E
HealthyMouth.org. (ND). “Presi-dental Health: 4 Strange (But True) Tales.” Retrieved on 2/19/2017 from http://mouthhealthy.org/en/presidential-facts
Kelly, Kate. (ND). “George Washington’s Teeth: A President in Pain.” Retrieved on 2/19/2017 from http://americacomesalive.com/2010/10/20/a-president-in-pain/
MountVernon.org. (ND). “The Trouble with Teeth.” Retrieved on 2/19/2017 from http://mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-man-the-myth/the-trouble-with-teeth/
