How Queen Elizabeth I Made Black Teeth Trendy
In the 16th century, sugar was imported from British territories in the Caribbean. Since it was an expensive commodity, it was not readily available to the general public.
As a result, sugar was an exotic luxury good reserved for the royals. The rise of sugar usage among the upper class in the Tudor period led to a new outlook on dental health.
Eventually, sugar became more accessible, and the product was incorporated into culinary and dining practices as households sought to emulate the aristocracy.
At the time, the concept of nutrition was not well understood, so many people suffered from various health issues. Sugar soon became an essential ingredient in Tudor medicinal treatments.
As for dental hygiene, the lower classes used charcoal to brighten their teeth. They also used toothpicks made from wood or quills, and cloths were used to wipe off plaque. Archaeological excavations show that excessive sugar consumption caused a trend of rotten teeth.
Rotten and blackened teeth even became a beauty trend. Queen Elizabeth I, who ruled over England from 1558 to 1603, is remembered as one of the most famous sugar lovers of the Tudor period. She believed in displaying wealth and extravagance, and sugar was her way of doing so.
She ended up popularizing the style of blackened teeth. Some people would try to replicate her look by coloring their teeth black with soot.
Although people had poor dental hygiene practices, they still did try to care for their teeth. For example, Elizabeth I would rub honey and sugar paste over her teeth with a clean rag on a regular basis. Obviously, this led to further decay.
By the time Elizabeth I was in her 50s, her teeth were discolored, damaged beyond repair, and some had even fallen out. She wore false teeth to improve her appearance. Many foreign ambassadors claimed that she was hard to understand due to her lack of teeth.
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One visitor from Germany named Sir Robert Cecil wrote about the queen’s black teeth, saying that this was a common ailment among the English because of their great use of sugar:
“Her Majesty commands all manner of persons to stop doing portraits of her until a clever painter has finished one which all other painters can copy. Her Majesty, in the meantime, forbids the showing of any portraits which are ugly until they are improved.”
The beauty standards of the Tudor period offer compelling insights into daily life, fashion trends, and cultural practices. They illustrate the lack of health information back then and how far we have come in learning about the human body.
Therefore, the story of Queen Elizabeth I’s teeth now serves as a cautionary tale among English dentists in their battle against sugar.
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