Presidential Smile Secrets!

In honor of Presidents Day on Monday February 18th, we’re revealing smile secrets of just a few of our Command-in-Chief’s:

George Washington

At the time of inauguration, Washington has one natural tooth. Throughout his life, Washington wore various dentures, some even made from human teeth, which was common at the time. Until Washington died, it was said that he spent money on various toothbrushes and cleaning solutions for his teeth. If Washington were still alive today, he would benefit greatly from smile restoration with dental implants!

John Adams

Though he was missing most of his teeth, John Adams found dentures uncomfortable. He refused to wear dentures, and as a result, spoke with a lisp. We imagine that had John Adams had the option of having an implant retained denture, that look and feel like natural teeth, he gladly would have worn one.

Abraham Lincoln

It was said that Abraham Lincoln hated going to the dentist. His dental anxiety prevented him from regularly seeing the dentist, and he only visited the dentist four times in his life! With over 200 years of advancements in technology, anesthetics, and dental procedures, patients no longer have to fear going to the dentist.

Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland had surgery to remove oral cancer while on his yacht. The surgery was kept secret and performed after he boarded his yacht in New York. He subsequently disembarked in Cape Cod, where he then recovered at his summer home. Doctors fabricated a prosthesis for Cleveland, so he could speak normally after the surgery.

Donald Trump

Media and others speculate on whether President Trump wears false teeth. During a publicized event in 2017, Trump’s speech became slightly slurred and irregular. Experts believe that his partial denture may have been loose, and he was trying keep the prosthesis in place during the speech. This theory has not been confirmed, and we may not know the real verdict on whether President Trump wears dentures for some time.

Dentistry at the White House

During the Hoover administration in the 1930’s, a dental clinic was installed in the White House basement. At the time, the clinic only contained a single dental chair and dentists brought their own equipment. However, the clinic was updated, and today it houses a fully functioning operatory. There is also a full clinic at Camp David.