George Washington's False Teeth - Bottom Half

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While George Washington certainly faced dental difficulties throughout his life, the notion that his false teeth were constructed from wood is entirely unfounded. Instead, Washington's dentures were crafted from a variety of materials, including actual human teeth. In 18th century America, it was not uncommon for dentists to acquire teeth from impoverished individuals, who often sold their teeth in exchange for money or other forms of compensation. In 1784, Washington purchased nine such teeth for a total of 122 shillings, a sum that equated to less than one-third the amount offered to poor white Americans at the time. It is likely that these teeth originated from enslaved people residing on Mount Vernon's property. Scanned in 3D using a NextEngine Desktop scanner within the archaeology laboratory located at George Washington's esteemed estate, Mount Vernon. This description was provided by Virginia Commonwealth University student Jessica Evans. A digital model of this artifact has been generously supplied by the Virtual Curation Laboratory, courtesy of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.