GW's False Teeth, Bottom Half (VCU_3D_2132)

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While many assume that George Washington's dental woes were due to wooden dentures, this popular myth has been thoroughly debunked. In reality, Washington had a series of dentures crafted from various materials, including human teeth. At the time, it was not uncommon for dentists to source teeth from impoverished individuals, who would sell them for use in dentures or tooth transplants. One notable example is George Washington's 1784 purchase of nine teeth from several African Americans, reportedly enslaved at Mount Vernon, for a mere 122 shillings - roughly one-third the amount offered to poor white Americans. A detailed scan of these teeth was conducted using a NextEngine Desktop 3D scanner in the archaeology lab at Mount Vernon, courtesy of Virginia Commonwealth University student Jessica Evans and the Virtual Curation Laboratory, with support from the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.