In celebration of Independence Day we’re looking back at fun facts about the country’s Founding Fathers oral health.  During colonial times dentistry was very different.  For example, did you know that instead of going to the dentist you went to a barber surgeon?  The barber surgeons could not only give you a hair cut but pull your tooth as well!  Dentistry has definitely come a long way since our Founding Fathers fought for independence.  Here are some fun and interesting dental facts about the people who helped create this country!

Paul Revere

You might recognize Paul Revere as the man who rode his horse to alert the colonists that the British were coming during the Revolutionary War.  But, did you know that he was a dentist as well?  Although trained as a silversmith he also sold dentures and cleaned teeth.  It’s also thought that he was the first person to identify a body by its teeth.

John Adams

If you knew our second president during revolutionary times it may have been difficult to understand him.  Adams lost his teeth for two main reasons: he loved sweets and also he believed throwing up cured a number of diseases.  Since he refused to wear dentures it made comprehending what he said often times difficult.

Thomas Jefferson

This founding father took great care of his teeth.  He had only lost one adult tooth by the age of 81!

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was a brilliant Founding Father but eccentric when it came to his health.  He tried to cure his kidney stones by taking mercury pills.  The devastating effect on his teeth from the mercury led to them having to be taken out.

Avoid the fate of most of our Founding Fathers’ mouths and be sure to practice good oral hygiene and see us regularly!

Ed Helms

So no, Ed Helms did not actually pull his tooth for the movie The Hangover. But, his celebrity dental fun fact is that he is actually missing that tooth in the movie and in real life! Ed Helms permanent front tooth never came in, when this happens we call the tooth congenitally missing. At a younger age, he had an implant placed to replace the congenitally missing tooth. For the movie he had the implant crown removed and a black prosthetic placed to make it look like he was missing a tooth. When he wasn’t on set he had a removable appliance he could put in to make it appear the tooth was in place. After filming ended he had a new crown made and permanently inserted to replace the tooth again.  Now that’s what we call dedication to the role!

Jim Carrey

When Jim Carrey was in grade school a classmate jumped on him causing his front tooth to fracture off. For his role in Dumb and Dumber, he convinced his dentist to remove the filling to make the tooth chipped again for the role!  After the movie ended he had the filling replaced to return to his normal smile.  We applaud him for the lengths he went through and can’t imagine this movie without that signature smile!

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts is known for her famous, large, pearly smile but she holds a fun dental fact. Julia’s former home town dentist encouraged all the children in her town to excel.  If one of his former patients won a major award he promised a tube of toothpaste to every child in town. On March 21, 2001, Julia Roberts received the Best Actress Oscar for her role in Erin Brockovich. Anticipating her win, her dentist had ordered 10,000 tubes of toothpaste!

John Lennon

The most expensive tooth to date is one belonging to former Beatles’ member John Lennon. After having the tooth extracted Lennon supposedly allowed his housekeeper to give the tooth to her Beatles enthusiastic daughter. The tooth sold at an auction in 2011 for $31,200 to a Canadian dentist.  That’s a lot of bang for one buck tooth!

Katy Perry

Speaking of expensive teeth, this next celebrity dental fun fact was so pricey it set a record! Singer, Katy Perry, wanted to add some bling to her music video, Dark Horse. Instead of just using the usual boring jewelry, she decided to work with her dentist to come up with a grill for her teeth. The custom grill has massive amounts of diamonds and precious gemstones on it.  It’s loaded with so many jewels that it is valued as the most expensive grill in the world according to Guinness World Records, at a whopping $1 million!

Mick Jagger

When speaking of flashy celebrity dental facts we have to include rock and roller Mick Jagger.  Mick had an emerald gemstone placed on one of his upper incisors. After people kept thinking he had spinach caught between his teeth he decided to change it to a ruby. Although nobody thought he had spinach caught in his teeth anymore, they did think he had blood on his teeth! He finally settled on a diamond to jazz up his smile.

Celebrate National Pet Day all month long by caring for your pet's health! Check out our blog post for tips to care for your pet's teeth.