Why Washington lost his Teeth,By the time the Constitution of the United States was adopted George W

Why Washington lost his Teeth,By the time the Constitution of the United States was adopted George Washington only had one natural tooth left. He was aged 59.  Throughout much of his life Washington’s most common health problem was his teeth.  He often suffered from chronic toothaches, abscesses, and inflamed gums which ultimately led to tooth loss.  Eventually Washington was force to wear a full set of dentures (not wooden).  While dental hygiene standards were not very high in the 18th century, bad hygiene alone cannot completely explain why Washington had so many problems with his mouth.  So what happened to George Washington’s teeth?It is a fact that dental hygiene, or any kind of hygiene for that matter, was not at its height during the late 1700’s. People didn’t bathe regularly, nor did people brush regularly.  However there were a few other critical factors that explain why Washington suffered from tooth loss.  One reason could be dental hygiene methods of the age in itself.  As an upper class gentleman, Washington actually was a very punctual brusher who brushed his teeth daily and swigged mouthwash.  However this may have added or further exacerbated Washington’s tooth problems.  Toothpaste of the day was not like the common toothpaste we use today, nor was mouthwash anything like Scope.  Rather than toothpaste, toothpowder was commonly used. Toothpowder in the 1700’s usually used a very course abrasive as a base, usually pumice or borax.  Added to that were herbs and roots, often which were very damaging to tooth enamel.  One common herb often added to toothpaste was tobacco, a substance certainly not conducive for oral health.  Washington himself used a silver toothpowder case filled with crushed pumice.  Over a span  of thirty years Washington slowly wore away the enamel of his teeth with daily brushing using coarse pumice toothpowder.  Furthermore mouthwash of the day consisted of various chemicals that were also harmful to the teeth, among them wine or vinegar, very acidic liquids that can damage tooth enamel.Throughout Washington’s life he suffered many illnesses, especially when on military campaign in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution.  His many ailments included malaria, flu, rheumatism, dysentery, fever, headaches, and severe muscle pain.  During the 18th century the most common cure-all for any ailment was a substance called calomel ( mercurous chloride).  Calomel was a laxative and purgative, which was often used in 18th century medicine to “purge the body of disease and toxins”.  One of the side effects of calomel was tooth loss.  In fact during the yellow fever epidemic of Philadelphia in 1793 calomel was given in large doses to patients as a treatment, a favorite medicine of the famous Dr. Benjamin Rush.  Many of the survivors of the epidemic suffered from severe tooth loss as a side effect.  Because of Washington’s many ailments throughout his life he was treated with numerous large doses of calomel.  Often calomel was prescribed to Washington for toothaches, further exacerbating the problem.   Despite daily brushing and fastidious oral hygiene George Washington’s teeth were doomed.As a result Washington’s teeth eventually wore away and had to be extracted.  Extraction of teeth involved a “dentist” yanking out the tooth with a set of pliers, often without any anesthetics.  Throughout his life Washington owned many sets of dentures made of ivory or human teeth, many of which were ill fitting. Consider how lucky we have it today the next time you brush your teeth, gargle mouth wash, or visit the dentist. -- source link

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