What was the state of dental care for European royalty and nobility, particularly in the 1500s-1600s, and did this in any way change how they were depicted in portraits?

by taulover

A local tour guide in Copenhagen told me that the reason why portraits in the Rosenborg and other similar castles had their mouths closed was that most of their teeth were pulled out or blackened. Is there any truth to this statement?

dandan_noodles

I'd definitely believe it; there's a sketch of Charles V, Holt Roman Emperor by Jacques le Boucq in 1555 on the eve of his abdication; he was a few years shy of sixty, and had lost all his teeth by then. A diet of beer and red meat isn't great for one's dental health.