
Washington Had Almost All of His Teeth Pulled Out
By the time George Washington was inaugurated as president in 1789, he had only one natural tooth remaining. He suffered from severe dental disease throughout his life, likely worsened by treatments involving mercury compounds. His famous dentures were not made of wood, as legend claims — they were crafted from a combination of human teeth, animal teeth, and ivory from hippos and elephants, held together by metal springs.