George Washington Had Wooden Teeth

As a matter of fact, he did not.

His dentures were made of hippopotamus ivory in 1764. They are now on display at Mount Vernon. Dentures have been around a long time. The earliest were made of human or animal teeth by the Etruscans in 700 BC. These deteriorated quickly but were easy to produce so they remained in use for quite a while.

Wooden dentures did exist, in Japan. The oldest useful dentures were indeed wooden. The first porcelain dentures were developed in 1770 and in 1820 dentures were made from procelain made by Wedgewood and mounted on eighteen carat gold plates, fancy. By 1860 vulcanite, hardened rubber was a used for plates and the teeth were still porcelain.

Most of these early dentures were no doubt uncomfortable and not very attractive. Keeping them in ones mouth was another challenge. They did not have Sea Bond or Fixodent in those days

Thank goodness today's dentures are leaps and bounds above the early ones. They are much more attractive and natural looking. With the help of a skilled dentist, denturist, or prosthodontist, they are also much better fitting. When I was a child my uncle was quite fond of popping his out on the end of his tongue. We, as children, thought this was hilarious. Not so funny to the adult whose dentures came out when they attempted to bite an apple.

Full dentures replace all the teeth. Partial dentures are made to replace some missing teeth. Both are removeable.

The key to good fit is getting a perfect impression of the gums. It takes time and patience to achieve this. Some dental labs are connected to the dentist's office and one day dentures are possible if you are scheduled early in the day.

Upper dentures are much easier to fit and keep in place. The lower dentures are a bit harder because the tongue is involved. A lot of dentists recommend keeping some of your natural lower teeth if possible to anchor the dentures or using implants to anchor them. There are also immeidiate dentures, meant to temporarily replace a missing tooth until a permanent solution is found.

Often a patient can wear the dentures home immediately after their insertion. They take a bit of getting used to. One thing is excessive salivation. The mouth thinks they are food and salivates. Sounds funny, huh? Thank goodness it is temporary. Some people develop sore spots and these can be corrected by filing and readjusting the dentures. Most people will go back a couple of times to ensure they are properly fitted.

Take good care of your new dentures, removing and cleaning them daily with a cream designed for dentures. When they are not in your mouth, they should be in water or cleansing liquids. Keep away from children or pets. You laugh, but working in a vet's office, I have seen several x-rays that included the owner's dentures or parts of them. The dogs apparently found them irresistible.

Getting dentures can improve your smile, your confidence, your ability to speak, and your ability to eat. Eating is number one on most people's scale.

 




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