Biden gets two-day root canal after report president eats ‘like a child’
WASHINGTON — President Biden canceled all three of his planned public events Monday to complete a two-day root canal — after a report last month described tension within Biden’s inner circle over the ice cream-loving chief executive eating “like a child.”
Presidential physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor revealed that Biden, 80, had the first part of a root canal Sunday after “experiencing some dental pain in his lower right premolar” and that a second procedure would happen Monday.
“Our Presidential Dental Team from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was able to perform an examination, to include x-rays, in the White House Dental Operatory. They determined that endodontic treatment (root canal) was most appropriate,” O’Connor wrote.
“Initial root canal procedure was performed at the time, with a plan for specialized endodontal follow up in the near future. The President tolerated the procedure well. There were no complications,” O’Connor added.
“He is experiencing further discomfort this morning, which was anticipated. The endodontal specialty team from Walter Reed will complete the President’s root canal today, at the White House.”
If a root canal requires more than one visit, the first treatment generally is “when the infected pulp is removed” and the “second (and maybe third) appointment is when the root canal gets cleaned and filled with a crown or other filling to prevent infections,” according to the American Association of Endodontists.
Biden’s aides have expressed concern about the president’s sugary food choices, Axios reported last month.
The president likes to drink orange Gatorade and his favorite foods “include peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, BLT’s, pizza, cookies, spaghetti with butter and red sauce, and ice cream that he occasionally makes into a full sundae, according to current and former Biden aides,” the outlet reported.
Former President Donald Trump, 76, who is seeking a rematch against Biden next year, also stoked concern about his diet.
When a New York Times report described an overweight president chowing down on fries, his aides insisted he often skipped lunch, which also can cause health issues.
Biden had been booked for a full work day on Monday, including hosting an 11:30 a.m. event on the White House lawn with college athletes.
The root canal wasn’t publicly disclosed until shortly before the gathering, which Vice President Kamala Harris headlined in Biden’s place.
Biden’s tooth repair also forced him to scrap a mid-afternoon meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, which now will take place on Tuesday, and a scheduled 6 p.m. reception for diplomats.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at her regular briefing Monday afternoon that Biden’s dental work was complete and he is “doing just fine.”
“He was not put under general anesthesia. The 25th Amendment certainly was not invoked and he received local anesthesia for the procedure,” she said.
“I can certainly share all of that — as far as the health of the president’s teeth, I cannot speak to that,” she added.
Jean-Pierre said that among White House staff, “we all found out this morning internally” about the agenda-disrupting procedure.
The press secretary at first tried to laugh off questions and then grew testy when a journalist continued pressing her on details.
“I should never get a root canal here because then I could see the judgment that comes — is coming my way,” she at first joked.
Later in the briefing, she more sternly sought to shut down questions about the timeline, saying: “Sir, it is a root canal.
Millions of Americans go through this. There’s nothing mysterious about it. It’s a regular thing that many people go through.
In a break from historical practice, the White House press office has not allowed O’Connor to field press questions on Biden’s health — as polling indicates a majority of voters are uncomfortable with Biden’s fitness for a second four-year term, which he would be 86 years old upon completing.
O’Connor’s confirmation that Biden’s bottom row of teeth are his own follows speculation that Biden wore dentures.
At a 2019 Democratic primary debate, Biden appeared to be trying to hold in the top row of his teeth while answering a question from ABC’s David Muir.
