The mechanism behind Washington’s spring dentures
Washington’s dentures were built to solve a practical problem: keeping artificial teeth in place. Springs connected the upper and lower parts of the device and pushed them apart. To bring the teeth together for eating or speaking, the wearer had to bite down against that pressure. The arrangement could be uncomfortable and required effort, but it helped hold the dentures in the mouth.
The set was assembled from different materials. Hippo ivory formed much of the base, while teeth from animals and people supplied the visible teeth. Such mixed construction reflected the limited dental options of the era: a maker could fit available teeth into a custom appliance rather than replace them with a uniform, modern-looking set.
What the human teeth reveal
Records indicate that Washington paid enslaved people for teeth used in dentures. That detail places the appliance within the world of slavery at Mount Vernon, not just the history of dental craft. A recorded payment does not make the exchange equal: the people involved lived under Washington’s control, with their choices constrained by enslavement. The teeth therefore point both to the labor and materials behind elite life and to the profound imbalance between Washington and the people he enslaved.
The wooden-teeth story is memorable because it turns a complicated object into a simple image. The actual dentures are more revealing: an intricate device assembled from animal ivory, metal, and human teeth—and a reminder that even a personal medical object could carry the imprint of slavery.
