1789 George Washington Linked States Inaugural Presidential Button

Did you know? Contrary to popular belief, George Washington’s false teeth were not fashioned from wood.  His dentures were actually constructed of a combination of hippopotamus ivory, cow and horse teeth and even a few of the General’s own previously extracted teeth that he kept in a locked drawer at his Mount Vernon home! The contraptions, designed over the years by several dentists including Dr. John Greenwood, were held together by carefully designed gold wire springs and brass screws which were attached to Washington’s existing natural teeth. It seems that George, over the course of his life, had numerous sets of full and partial dentures as a result of his ongoing dental troubles. At the time of Washington’s 1789 inauguration, he had only one remaining natural tooth.

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