5. George Washington’s dour expression in portraits is due to ill-fitting wooden teeth.
No trees were chopped down in the service of our first president’s mouth—although it is true that he suffered for years from dental pain. From the age of 24, Washington lost, on average, one tooth a year, and by the time he was elected president, he had only one of his own teeth left.
Dr. John Greenwood of New York City, who became known as the father of modern dentistry, produced several sets of dentures for Washington, none of which involved wood. Washington’s favorites were fashioned from hand-carved hippopotamus ivory and gold; the upper and lower plates were hinged with springs that held them in position when they were opened. Washington had to bite down in order to keep his mouth closed. If he relaxed his jaw, his mouth would pop open.
After Washington’s death, one set of his dentures was donated to the University of Maryland Dental School. Another is on display at Mount Vernon (it’s currently on tour). After the dental school loaned its set to the Smithsonian for its bicentennial display in 1976, it was stolen. In 1982, half was returned. The other half has not been seen since.
