Paul Revere is best remembered for his famed midnight ride, but the archetypal American patriot also contributed to early dentistry. A silversmith by trade, Revere also worked as an amateur dentist. He used his skills as a craftsman to wire dentures made of walrus ivory or animal teeth into his patients’ mouths. In 1776, Revere became the first person to practice forensic dentistry in the US when he identified the body of his friend Joseph Warren nine months after the well-known revolutionary died during the Battle of Bunker Hill. He did this by recognizing the wiring he had used on a false tooth for this friend.
The solution at the time for
bad teeth was to simply pull them. When George Washington was inaugurated as President
in 1789, only one real tooth remained in his mouth! Reports suggest that Washington started
losing his teeth at a relatively early age and by middle age had no teeth. At
that point, he had to rely on dentures that were clumsy, didn't fit well, and
distorted his lips.
Contrary to popular rumors,
the teeth in Washington's
dentures were not made of wood. Washington
had several sets of false teeth. One set, now at Mount Vernon, is made from human and cow
teeth and elephant ivory. It is set in a lead base and includes heavy metal
springs. Other sets were made from hippopotamus ivory. The ivory dentures
tended to stain easily, requiring extensive maintenance such as cleaning with
wax, chalk, or Pine and Cedar sticks.
Dentistry and orthodontics
have thankfully come a long ways since the 1700s. If you stop into one of our Arlington Dentist offices in Rosslyn or Crystal
City, you can enjoy the
benefits of modern dental solutions in preventative, comprehensive,
restorative, and cosmetic dentistry.
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