Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus are joined by Lucy Smith to explore the history of dentistry and the evolving meanings that humans have projected onto this part of the body. How were teeth extracted before dentists—and before Novocain? When did “perfect” teeth become so important? And what in the world were George Washington’s dentures made of, if not wood?

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TRANSCRIPT: coming soon 

OUTLINE:

0:00 - Introductions

3:23 - Why Teeth?

5:20 - Were George Washington’s Teeth Wood?

9:52 - The Concerns Around Tooth Aches

11:18 - Have People Always Felt This Way About Teeth?

18:21 - Dental Care Before Dentists

25:27 - Anesthetic?

27:18 - When Did Teeth Start to Matter?

32:22 - Teeth and Being a Good American

37:49 - Losing Teeth

39:46 - What Were The Dentures Made of?

45:39 - Where Were All the Teeth Coming From?

1:00:00 - Historic Sites to Visit

1:03:55 - Where You can Find Lucy

EPISODE LINKS:

University of Michigan graduate history department – https://lsa.umich.edu/history/graduates/lucy-smith--st--louis--mo.html

Contact information – https://lsa.umich.edu/history/people/graduate-students/lksmit.html

Michael Twitty – https://afroculinaria.com/about/

George Washington’s dentures – https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/health/washingtons-teeth

Caravaggio, The Tooth-Drawer – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caravaggio,_Michelangelo_Merisi_da_-_The_Tooth-Drawer-_1607-09.jpg

Josiah Wedgewood – https://www.britannica.com/biography/Josiah-Wedgwood

Ivory Waterloo teeth – https://www.vanleestantiques.com/product/ivory-artificial-waterloo-teeth-c-1800/

False Teeth – https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/false-teeth

John Greenwood – https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/john-greenwood-1760-1819

A Famine of Cadavers episode – https://open.spotify.com/episode/4yF0H8gf2tn3IvJRXQtO3D?si=6d2ccb7338624caa

National Dentistry Museum – https://www.dentalmuseum.com

Brown Bag Lunch featuring Library Fellow Lucy Smith - https://www.youtube.com/live/X7F_3l0o_fQ?si=bjIia_ZuqvoT12V6

Lunch and Learn: Mouth to Mouth: The Tooth Trade in Washington’s World – https://youtu.be/lfyyQ43Z5Cw?si=HaK4zUAWgoSVKnnK

The Object of History Podcast episode: “Holding the Atlantic World in his Mouth”: George Washington, an MHS Portrait, and the Culture of Teeth in the 18th Century – https://www.masshist.org/podcast/season-3-episode-1-washingtons-teeth

The Costs of an All-American Smile – https://rackham.umich.edu/discover-rackham/allamericansmile/

PODCAST INFO:

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