Further to yesterday's story about George Washington's mother, let's talk about his teeth for a minute. Like the rest of you, I grew up being told his false teeth were made of wood, which explains his stern expression in paintings and on our money. The truth is that while he did have false teeth, they were not made of wood. "The dentures are made from gold, ivory, lead, human and animal teeth (horse and donkey teeth were common components)"—they have been X-rayed and examined, and an article about them, along with a picture of a reproduction of them, can be found here.
I'm not sure how important you have to be to have your teeth saved and examined more than 200 years after you have died, but I suppose being the first president of the United States meets the requirements. It's an odd thing for us to do, though. Imagine being the guy who does the X-raying at the National Museum of Dentistry (yes, we have one of those), and at the end of the day your kid asks, "Dad, what do you do?" "Well, honey, let me explain...and after that, I called my friend at the National Museum of Noses, and she was examining the preserved nose of Abraham Lincoln."
I'm not sure how important you have to be to have your teeth saved and examined more than 200 years after you have died, but I suppose being the first president of the United States meets the requirements. It's an odd thing for us to do, though. Imagine being the guy who does the X-raying at the National Museum of Dentistry (yes, we have one of those), and at the end of the day your kid asks, "Dad, what do you do?" "Well, honey, let me explain...and after that, I called my friend at the National Museum of Noses, and she was examining the preserved nose of Abraham Lincoln."
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Oh dear, I seem to be in one of those moods today...