A Brief History of Dentures

When we think of dentures, we generally think of something that looks like a standard set of teeth -- pearly white and attached to a pair of gums. But dentures weren't always as impressive or as attractive as they are today. Like all of dentistry and medicine, they have a long and colorful history.

The first dentures: Made from real teeth. The oldest false teeth were probably made from animal teeth. One 4,500-year-old man was discovered by archaeologists with his teeth ground down and likely replaced. This was done ceremonially and not for medical purposes, but the intent was the same. By 700 years BC, the ancient Etruscans were wearing dentures made of both human and animal teeth.

Ancient Japan. The Ganjyoyi Temple in Kii Province is home to a set of wooden dentures made from a littleleaf box tree. What's fascinating about these is that they used the same suction-adhesion method as modern dentures.

George Washington's famous false teeth. The first president started losing his teeth in his 20s, and so had them replaced early in life. In 2005, scientists discovered these teeth were not made of wood as previously believed, but a combination of gold, lead and ivory, as well as real teeth -- from humans, horses and donkeys. But those weren't the only animal teeth Washington had in his mouth; the ivory in the dentures likely came from a hippopotamus, an elephant or a walrus.

The introduction of porcelain. Alexis Duchateau is generally credited with the invention of porcelain dentures in 1770, using tiny springs to fasten the teeth to the base. After this, another dental engineer named Claudius Ash began making high-quality porcelain dentures, affixing them to 18-carat gold pates. He used plaster to make molds of his patients' mouths, and by the 1850s the practice had become common.

Modern dentures. In the 20th Century, dentists began making dentures out of acrylics and other plastics. Fortunately, other advances in dental technology and oral care practices have lessened the need for dentures.