Object Spotlight: Washington’s Toothbrush
This silver toothbrush with ivory inserts and natural bristles is part of a larger toilet set that includes a tongue scraper and a silver case for tooth powder, all owned by George Washington.
The nation’s first president had what we might call bad teeth. Beginning in his 20s, Washington started buying toothbrush powders and pastes to no avail. In April 1756 when Washington was just 24 he had his first tooth pulled, an event that was followed by the extraction of more teeth almost every year until nearly none remained.
“His mouth is large and generally firmly closed, but which from time to time discloses some defective teeth,” said Captain George Mercer, Washington’s aide in the Virginia regiment when Washington was in his late 20s.
By age 49 Washington was missing a number of teeth and wired his dentures to those that remained. In 1789, at his swearing in as president, only one tooth remained. That year Washington would receive his first of four full sets of dentures made by his New York dentist, John Greenwood. Despite lore, the dentures were not made out of wood, but were constructed of hippopotamus ivory and human teeth.
Finally, in 1796, Washington’s last tooth began to bother him and he asks Greenwood to remove it. The dentist kept the tooth and put it in a charm on his pocket watch fob, which exists to this day.
Object Spotlight is a weekly feature on George Washington Wired that highlights some of the household objects that George Washington came into contact with in his daily life.
This toothbrush is not currently on display, but the watch fob with George Washington’s last tooth can be seen in The Donald and Nancy Delaski Gallery, in the Donald W. Reynolds Education Center and Museum.
Toothbrush: W-615/A. Gift of Mrs. Charles Angelo Conrad
Watch fob: IL-2009.021.002. Loaned by the Malloch RareBook Room of the New York Academy of Medicine Library.
