George Washington’s Fake Teeth: The Real Story

By Barbara,2.4 min read,

Last Updated: June 19, 2025Published On: June 14, 2025

George Washington With His Awful Dentures

Spoiler: They weren’t wood, but they were still pretty horrifying

If you went to school in the U.S., chances are you were told a few things about George Washington: he chopped down a cherry tree (he didn’t), he had a flawless moral compass (let’s talk nuance), and he wore wooden dentures (he definitely did not).

As it turns out, the truth about Washington’s teeth is more fascinating, more grotesque, and definitely more human than the sanitized myth we were fed. Let’s sink our teeth into it. (Sorry. Had to.)

His dental drama started early

Washington began losing his teeth in his twenties. By the time he was inaugurated in 1789, he had exactly one natural tooth left. The rest? A dental cabinet of horrors.

He tried everything to stop the rot: tooth powders, elixirs, even having teeth pulled preventatively. His letters show a man obsessed with oral health—and in constant pain. In one, he writes that his mouth was “much inflamed” and “attended with a painful swelling.” Fun.

The dentures? Oh, they were a lot

Let’s get this straight: George Washington did not have wooden teeth. That myth likely started because his dentures were stained and cracked, giving them a grainy, wood-like look. But the actual materials? Buckle up:

Human teeth (some from donors, some possibly from enslaved people)
Cow and horse teeth
Ivory from hippos and elephants
Metal springs and lead

Yes, lead. The same material you now go to great lengths to avoid.

These Franken-dentures were custom-fit and incredibly uncomfortable. The metal springs kept them in place by forcing Washington’s mouth open. It changed the way he spoke, smiled, even posed for portraits. If he looks a bit stiff in official paintings, it’s because his jaw was basically under siege.

A tooth in a gift box

Washington actually gave his last remaining tooth to his dentist, Dr. John Greenwood, who allegedly kept it in a decorative case. Whether this was a gesture of gratitude or “please take this cursed object away from me,” we’ll never know.

Why the myth persists

The wooden teeth story took hold in the 19th century when early biographies leaned heavily into the noble simplicity of the first president. What better way to romanticize his struggle than with a rustic dental solution?

But the real story—of pain, privilege, and questionable materials—paints a more complex and oddly relatable portrait. Washington wasn’t just the father of a nation. He was also a guy who fought a losing battle against tooth decay and still managed to lead a revolution.