At Smile Denture & Implant Clinic, we spend our days helping people get comfortable, custom-fitted dentures — which means we've also picked up more than a few strange, surprising stories about their history along the way. Dentures are thousands of years older than most people assume, and a couple of the “facts” you've probably heard (yes, George Washington, we're looking at you) turn out to be myths. If you're new to all of this, our introduction to dentures is a good primer. For now, here are a few well-documented, genuinely fun facts about dentures worth knowing — the kind worth sharing next time the subject comes up.
1. Dentures Are Thousands of Years Older Than You'd Guess
Long before acrylic or porcelain existed, people were already finding ways to replace missing teeth. Around 700 BC, the Etruscans — an ancient civilization in what's now Italy — were crafting some of the earliest known dental prosthetics: replacement teeth banded together with gold wire and fastened to the natural teeth still standing. Only the wealthy could access this kind of work at the time, and it wasn't especially comfortable by any measure. Still, it proves the desire for a complete, confident smile has been around for a very, very long time — long before anyone had heard the word “denturist.”
2. George Washington's Dentures Were Not Made of Wood
This is probably the most famous denture myth out there, and it has been repeated in classrooms for generations. The story goes that America's first president wore a full set of wooden teeth — but the dentures historians have actually examined tell a different story. Washington had several sets made over the years, built from materials like ivory, gold, and human and animal teeth, held together with metal springs and wires. Not a single piece of wood in the lot. The myth likely stuck around because ivory yellows and takes on a grainy texture over time, which can look a lot like wood grain if you're not looking closely — an easy mix-up that turned into two centuries of folklore.
3. In Japan, Wooden Dentures Were the Real Thing
Washington's teeth weren't wooden, but wooden dentures absolutely existed — and some of the finest examples came out of Japan's Edo period. Skilled craftspeople carved full dentures from a single block of wood, such as cherry, then hand-fit each one to a beeswax impression of the wearer's mouth so precisely that suction alone held it in place. It's a genuinely impressive piece of engineering, especially considering it came centuries before suction-fit dentures caught on in the West. Many surviving examples are still held in museum collections today, a quiet tribute to the patience and skill it took to carve a comfortable fit from a single piece of wood.
4. Some 19th-Century Dentures Were Called “Waterloo Teeth”
Not every denture fact is a lighthearted one. After the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, dealers collected teeth from soldiers who had died on European battlefields and sold them to denture makers, who set them into dentures for wealthy clients back home. The practice became so well known that “Waterloo teeth” turned into a common nickname for denture teeth across Britain for decades afterward — a reminder of just how limited people's options used to be, and how far denture care has come since. By the time acrylic resin arrived in the 20th century, that whole grim chapter had thankfully closed for good.
5. Modern Dentures Aren't Recycled From Anyone — They're Built Around You
The biggest difference between historic dentures and the ones our denturists design today isn't just the materials, though acrylic resin is a big part of it. It's the process. Every denture starts with an impression of your own mouth, gums, and bite. Our denturists design the fit and shape around your face, and our lab technicians then craft the denture to match — nothing recycled, borrowed, or generic about it. If you're comparing your options, our guide to the types of dentures we offer walks through how complete, partial, and implant-retained dentures each work a little differently, so you can see which one fits your situation.
The Fact That Matters Most
History aside, here's the fact that actually matters for you: dentures today aren't generic, and they're not something you have to settle for. They're designed around your face, your bite, and how you want to feel when you smile, with a level of comfort the Etruscans — or George Washington, for that matter — never had access to. If you'd like to see the difference for yourself, take a look through real results in our smile gallery. Or skip straight to the easiest first step and book a free consultation with our team. No history lesson required — just a friendly conversation about your smile.
Reviewed by our licensed denturists · Updated July 2026