Feb 17

Feb 17 The Fifer Who Made Washington's Dentures - John Greenwood

John Greenwood was a fifer, inventor and dentist during the American Founding.

His most famous patient was George Washington, for whom Greenwood made several sets of dentures.

John Greenwood

During the build up to the Revolutionary War, British Regulars steadily filed into Boston.

While these soldiers were an unwelcome presence for most citizens, one little boy found pleasure in their sounds.

John Greenwood fell in love with the fifes which the Regulars used to practice field instruction. John managed to get his hands one one of these instruments and quickly learned to play several tunes.

Fifer

Let it not be mistaken, Greenwood was a Patriot.

At just 16 years old he joined the Continental Army as a fife player...a common position for men too young to take up arms.

Greenwood spent three years in this underappreciated position.

The Dental Foot Engine

John Greenwood’s father, Isaac, was an early American dentist.

After the war, John moved to New York City and took up the family trade.

By the age of thirty, Greenwood had invented a ‘dental foot engine.’

Although dental drills had been around for centuries, they were hand cranked and slow. Greenwood’s device used foot petals from a sewing machine to speed up the process. This engine made mouth surgery better for both the doctor and patient.

Dentures

During his years of practice, John had one extremely famous patient...George Washington.

Over the last ten years of Washington’s life, Greenwood made him several sets of dentures. Strange as it may seem, they were built from a combination of ivory and HUMAN TEETH.

Greenwood had several advertisements in the papers offering to purchase old teeth for just this purpose.

At His Excellency’s Service

Though the dentures were often painful, Washington clearly liked John’s work. He was the only person entrusted by the Commander-in-Chief to fix his teeth.

The two corresponded regularly, with the dentures frequently being sent back to for repairs.

When Greenwood retired to Connecticut, he made a promise to Washington that he would continue to keep the President as his only remaining client.

Here are some other FOUNDERS WHO INVENTED THINGS:

Eli Whitney Shoves America Into the Industrial Revolution

John Stevens III - The Thomas Edison of the American Revolution

The First Submarine - David Bushnell’s Explosive Career

John Greenwood wrote an autobiography about his years in the Continental Army.

‘A Young Patriot’ is very interesting because it is a firsthand account of a fifer during the Revolutionary War.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).