What were George Washington's dentures made out of?

The myth of George Washington's wooden chompers is as enduring as the tall tale of the time the young future president chopped down a cherry tree and came clean about his crime. It's also just as false.

In fact, Washington had multiple sets of dentures, and they were made of ivory, metal alloys and — most disturbingly — the teeth of other humans, quite possibly slaves. According to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, Washington's documents show that he purchased toothbrushes and tooth powders beginning at least in his early 20s, but to no avail. His first tooth was pulled in 1756, when he was just 24. By 1781, Washington was wearing partial dentures, and by 1789, he had only one tooth left in his mouth. That year, he started wearing full sets of dentures made from ivory and human teeth.

These teeth were quite possibly purchased at cut-rate prices from slaves or, in the very best case, from desperately poor people, said Kathryn Gehred, a research specialist at the University of Virginia who has written about Washington's teeth.