Yesterday, I was riveted for the entire day watching the inauguration ceremony. The pomp and circumstance are amazing, and I just loved watching all of the politicians dressed in their finest. Yes, I too was waiting on pins and needles to see the dress Michelle Obama would arrive in for the ball. She did not disappoint. She looked gorgeous and elegant as usual. The dress was stunning! The red dress complimented her complexion beautifully, and the halter top, showed off her fabulous arms. She and the president flashed those fantastic smiles throughout the entire day. Not withstanding, what the day means to our country of hope, and new beginnings, and bright futures. Yesterday was truly a monumental day, so full of meaning. I could not keep my eyes away from the television for too long, for fear of missing any cherished moments.
One thing that was apparent so frequently, but not appreciated enough, was the constant smiles that the president and first lady flashed so effortlessly. I wondered who maintains their oral health? Just who is the dentist who allows the first family to smile so brightly without concern and embarrassment. I thought about the previous presidents, some who had dental problems that affected them in a public way. George Washington’s wooden teeth were actually made of gold and ivory. His clumsy ill-fitting dentures were what made the sour expression we see in pictures. It was not that he didn’t like to smile. He couldn’t. Washington had no teeth by the time he was middle-aged. John Adams lost his teeth and refused to wear false ones, that is why he spoke with a lisp. Abraham Lincoln was so afraid of dentists from an earlier painful experience, that he brought his own chloroform to the dentist when he needed another extraction, put it to his nose, and instructed the dentist to come over when he felt sedated enough. As you can see in pictures, Woodrow Wilson’s teeth were awful. He had a stroke, and it was said that he had atherosclerotic disease which was in part due to his poor oral hygiene. When the White House released the records of George W. Bush, they said he had extensive dental work and no wisdom teeth. Ronald Reagan had to have cortisone injections for TMJ problems.
When thinking about presidents and history, there is a long history of their oral health that historians gather as well. It makes you wonder how their oral health affected their lives. Well, to Michelle and Barack’s dentist, keep up the great work!
