| There are many
stories surrounding George Washington and not all of them are true. Sometimes
our heroes in history become larger than life and the stories about them become
exaggerated. These stories are called legends. One of the legends of George
Washington says that our first President wore wooden teeth. Like most legends,
this story is not true.
George Washington had many illnesses during his life.
He had smallpox, malaria and the flu among other things. Back in the 1700's,
there were no antibiotics such as we have today. Treatments for illnesses in
those days included blood-letting and remedies such as mercurous chloride, which is
known to destroy the teeth.
Washington lost his first tooth when he was 22 years
old. Despite the fact that he used tooth powder daily, over the next 35 years
he would lose the rest of his teeth. Toothaches were a common problem for
Washington, (continued.) |
