One concern people have with full or partial dentures is that they can sometimes get lost once removed. If you ever lost your dentures, know that you are in good company. President Grant lost his dentures at least twice that we know of. Both times he lost his dentures he had a hard time finding a replacement, once was in the field during the civil war and the other time was on a ship during his world tour. Luckily for residents of Auburn and Worcester, they can go to a local dentist for a replacement denture when that happens.
Grant lost his first permanent tooth quite early, at the of fifteen. The Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library has a receipt from the dentist for that extraction. This may not even be the first tooth he needed to get extracted, but it’s the first one we have a record of. We have a record of a second tooth being extracted in February 1854, as seen in a letter to his wife.
Whatever teeth he did have left, it seems like he was keen on keeping them since Grant was famous for going into battle carrying only a toothbrush as baggage.
As much as he was taking care of his remaining teeth, he didn’t take as good care of his dentures. The first time he lost them was during the battle of Vicksburg. He had left them in his wash basin and his servant threw out the dentures along with the basin water. This necessitated a replacement denture, but it would take a while him to get a new one in the middle of a battlefield.
This was likely a partial denture, since Grant had additional teeth removed later in life. We do know he was on a soft food diet while his dentures were missing, however, so these dentures were more than just cosmetic and likely helped restore his chewing function as well.
The dentures served a purpose in correcting his speech as well, as seen from the second time he lost his dentures. The second time we know of that he lost his dentures was while he was doing his world tour after his presidency. Yet again, his servant threw out his dentures. Letters indicate that he became self conscious about a whistling sound he made while talking without his dentures.
These days, with the advent of implant-supported dentures, a president doesn’t need to worry about dentures breaking or going missing. Today’s implant-dentures have given many people the confidence to chew and speak confidently without the fear of losing or breaking their dentures.
If you live near Auburn, MA and are looking for dentist to create a replacement denture or provide you with implant-supported dentures, our team would be glad to help. Call our Auburn dental office at (508) 832-2171 to book a denture consultation.