18th century dental care

Believe it or not, people really did brush their teeth in the 1700s.

The above are two toothbrushes dug in the 1970s in Penn's Landing in the City of Bothersome Love, before I-95 construction tore the whole area up.  

They're made of bone, and the bristles -- which are long gone -- were made of boar bristles...

which goes a long way in explaining why George Washington ended up with wooden teeth.