The Dental Ninja

Fact or Fiction: More Cell Phones than Toothbrushes

2011-04-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

A few months ago the following question was asked on our facebook page:

Dear Dental Ninja, while attending a conference earlier this week, someone reported that there were more people in the world that owned cell phones than people that owned toothbrushes. Is this true?

First off, Jeff, sorry for the delayed response. I'm in the process of purchasing my own dental practice (wahoo!) and have been dedicating a lot of my "spare time" to that. Now for your answer:

Yes. At least I think so.

Here's my very un-scientific methodology:

I first did an exhaustive google search, but was frustrated to find that this claim had been propagated over and over again with no solid references, much like any urban legend. Any links I found would go back to a power point presentation someone gave at a conference, or would credit the UN - which sounds pretty legit, right? I think anytime I make stuff up I'm just going to cite the UN as my source. "Did you hear that the military is developing ammunition made out of rabbit teeth? Yeah, the UN said so." Anyway, if this was a simple googleable answer it wouldn't be any fun, right?

Without a credible statistic available online, I did what anyone would do: I contacted the curators of the world toothbrush museum in Sweden in order to ascertain the number of toothbrushes in the world. These guys are totally awesome they deserve a blog post of their own one of these days, but for now I'll stick to the task at hand. Also, their website is currently down and a hacker named Shiraz is taking credit. Bummer.

Anyway, the gist of their emailed response was that I should go into a store and count how many toothbrushes are for sale and compare it with how many cell phones are for cell. This logic led them to the conclusion that there are a thousand times more toothbrushes than cell phones. Yeah, I'm not convinced either.

I then asked myself, do I know (or have I ever known) anyone who owns a toothbrush but not a cellphone? Yes. My two children (ages 4 and 2) and all of their friends. How about people who own a cell phone but not a toothbrush? Yes - but not in this country. I spent some time in Germany several years back and became very well acquainted with people from all around the world. One of my good friends, a political refugee from Kosovo, had chronic bad breath you could smell from across the room. He was a great guy, you just had to speak from a distance. One evening he called my apartment and I answered in the middle of brushing my teeth. Our conversation went something like this:

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm cleaning me the teeth" (That's how you say it in German)

"You're cleaning you the teeth!?! What have you eaten?"

"Um, just regular food."

"Oh, crazy, well anyway..."

Yeah, between his breath, the visible foliage in his dentition, and this remark, you really get the impression that in his culture oral hygiene just isn't that important. On the other hand, even as a refugee in a foreign country, you bet he had a cell phone, aka a Händy.

China, being the most populous country ever, is obviously going to play a huge role in the cell phone vs. toothbrush race. One stat I was able to track down is that China currently has 4.6 billion with mobile phone subscriptions and only 4.2 billion people with toothbrushes. (Don't worry, I did the math for you: 400 million without a toothbrush). Take this stat for what it's worth, I don't know how who counted all the toothbrushes but everybody is crediting the MMA Forum Asia 2010.

One more tidbit has convinced me that cell phones are winning the battle. Statistics that show at least 30 countries have over 100% "cell phone penetration", which is to say more cell phone subscriptions than people. Maybe this is due to overlapping coverage when people switch plans, or maybe it's simply because people want to be this awesome:

That's right, I'm John Mayer and I have two phones. At any rate, I highly doubt there are any countries with anywhere near 100% "toothbrush penetration." The profit margins on a single toothbrush are nowhere near what they are for a cell phone subscription, therefore toothbrush manufacturers are nowhere near as motivated to market as aggressively as the worldwide cell phone manufacturers and service providers.

So here's the challenge: somebody make "an app for that". How about it Steve Jobs? It wasn't that long ago that "camera phones" were the cool thing to have, so what's stopping us from seeing this as the revolutionary new iPhone 5?

Serious Saliva

2010-12-17T09:56:00.000-08:00

One of the wonders of nature is the variety of ways in which different species develop defense mechanisms in the evolutionary battle for survival. At least three creatures in particular have adapted the ability to attack using their saliva: Cats, Komodo Dragons, and the NBA's Wilson Chandler.

Cats

This is Dewey, being shown a little too much affection by my boy Sam. Judging from the picture, you would expect Sam to be Dewey's biggest threat, right? Surprisingly they get along fine. You could even say they LOVE each other. The other cats in the neighborhood, however, are not so fond of their newest rival. A few weeks ago we heard a commotion in the front yard and the next day Dewey's front leg swelled to about 3 times it's normal size. We learned from the veterinarian that cat bites can be quite vicious. In fact, 80% of people who are cat-bitten will become infected!

Komodo Dragons

This animal may very well have more biodiversity in the oral cavity than any other creature out there. It certainly has the most virulent strains of bacteria, causing immediate sepsis in bite victims. Somehow the Komodo dragon remains unharmed from the bacteria in it's own mouth, but how it does this is still unknown. Just know that if you ever find yourself confronted by one of these bad boys, don't let it bite you.

Wilson Chandler of the New York Knicks

Recently, Wilson Chandler and David Lee found themselves fighting for a rebound when Lee extracted Chandler's tooth #8 using his elbow. As you can see, at first glance it appears that David Lee came out ahead in the exchange:

However, a few days later David Lee was informed that his elbow was infected and the doctors were struggling to find the right antibiotics to combat the specific strain of bacteria. (Did I ever mention that there is a greater variety of bacteria in the mouth than anywhere else in the human body?) The situation was serious enough that he was at risk of losing his triceps and, of course, ending his career! Lee described the ordeal to a local radio station:

This injury went from something that I thought was going to be a two-day situation to all of a sudden they were saying “we might have to cut your triceps muscle and you’re never going to play again” to “you’re fine”. It was a very scary situation, and I learned how serious infection can be.
It got to the point where they said if we can’t find the right antibiotics to counter the bacteria that you’re going to have to start getting things cut out of your arm, and you may never have the same arm to play basketball again.

Scary stuff! You know what's also scary? The picture of his elbow recovering from the injury. Kids, remember to wear your mouthguards - not just for your own safety but for that of your opponent!

Kissing Catastrophe

2010-12-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a great story to keep in mind while your cheeks are nice and rosy and you're getting comfy and cozy this holiday season! Being a dental professional, it's no surprise that news items related to kissing show up on my radar from time to time. A few years ago in Romania a couple was experimenting with a "special type of passionate kiss" and the woman accidentally swallowed her lover's dentures! Also, every so often there will be a news story claiming how kissing is either good or bad for your teeth. (Personally, I think your dental health shouldn't really be a deciding factor when deciding whether or not to kiss somebody).

However, this week's story takes the cake. A 57 year old woman from Sheboygan (you love this story already, don't you?) had been behaving a little oddly lately, according to her 79 year old husband. Apparently it went down like this: Karen Lueders was sitting on the toilet when husband Willard walked in the bathroom. Naturally, the husband leaned down for a kiss. I mean really, she's on the toilet, who wouldn't be in the mood for a little romance, right? I know you want a little help picturing the situation, so, here's Karen:

So there they are, she on the potty, he standing near her, they begin their little kiss and things start heating up (of course, why wouldn't they?). She gets a little frisky, when all of a sudden she decides to take the freaky to a whole new level and bites off his freaking tongue!

The poor romantic fellow then found some gauze to stop the bleeding and called the police, who arrived to find Karen doing exactly what you would expect her to be doing in this situation - singing Christmas carols and blowing into a New Year's horn. One of the officers (probably not a very romantic one) had no idea what was going on so he asked what sort of assistance was needed. The result? She blew the fancy horn in his ear and threw a coffee cup at the police.

The result of this all is that Karen is currently charged with felony mayhem that has to do with intention to mutilate or disfigure. At this point all we know about poor Willard's condition is that he was sent to the hospital with his severed tongue where doctors worked to reattach it.

The full, sad, scary story can be found at the Sheboygan Press.

The Dental Ninja vs Santa Claus

2010-12-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

Last week I met a new patient who, as it turns out, was actually a very familiar old friend. Upon meeting him I discovered he was a nice jolly elderly man with a long white beard. A younger dental ninja would have recognized him immediately, his street clothing notwithstanding. Yet in my present condition as a grown-up, I didn't realize who he was until he informed me that he would be seeing many children at the mall during the next few weeks and that he didn't want a toothache to keep him from this vital task.

While waiting for Santa to get numb, I made casual conversation and mentioned how excited my sons would be to hear that not only did I see him, but I actually fixed his tooth! Also, it wouldn't hurt to name-drop and let it be known that our dental practice serves such high-profile clientele.

Once Kris Kringle was good and numb I got to work removing the root of his mandibular canine. The adjacent teeth had enough gum disease that I thought it wise to attempt the extraction without elevating (using the other teeth for leverage). My plan worked beautifully except for one small hiccup - I had such a firm grip on the forceps that once the root was sufficiently "loose" it slipped out of the forceps, came flying out of his mouth, and ricocheted off my chest and leg before coming to rest on the floor!

The good news was that I had removed Santa's tooth, and he was on his way to a speedy recovery and a holiday season free of dental pain. The bad news was that I now found myself sitting there with Santa's blood on my light blue scrubs, and I still had a few more patients that day (including some little kids). Luckily the extraction happened so quickly that I had plenty of time to go home and change.

On the way home I couldn't help but feel like the worst super-villain around. Think about it, if you saw some guy walking around with a bloody shirt you would wonder, but if you knew that the blood belonged to St. Nicholas? Yeah, pure evil. Thus is the plight of the dentist - willfully enduring the label of the bad guy when his only intention is to help others. When you get your Christmas presents on time this year, along with Santa Claus, you can thank your dental ninja.

PS, I realize that by naming Santa Claus in this post I am in clear violation of HIPPA, so Santa, if you're reading this, all I want this year is for you to not sue me for sharing your private health information. Well, that and a Red Ryder BB gun.

Loma Linda Clinic Supply Skit

2010-10-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

Glad to see the great LLUSD skit/video competition still producing winners! The first half is a parody of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" with a great re-write of T.I.'s "Whatever you like" at the end.

EARTOOTHACHE! Man has Tooth Removed from Ear 33 Years Later!

2010-10-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

We've discussed some pretty bizarre things here, including a tooth intentionally lodged into an eye and various organs removed via the mouth. Well, today's story comes to us from England and involves a Stephen Hirst, a former miner (those guys are so popular right now!) who had an earache for 33 years. Or was it a toothache? For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to call it an eartoothache. It's like the manbearpig of orofacial pain.

The pain began around age 14. He suffered from frequent infections, and would literally bang his head into the wall because it hurt so much. Over the years he's had countless doctor visits but nobody was ever able to spot the tooth. Until just recently, when a nurse cleaned his ear out with a suction tube, inserted a microscope, and simply removed the tooth with some tweezers. Rather than totally freaking out, the calm nurse simply stood there and looked at it in disbelief.

The biggest question is, of course, HOW did his tooth get lodged in his ear canal? Mr. Hirst recalls an accident in his youth that involved him falling between two desks at school and smashing the back of his ear against a desk. How that would cause a primary tooth to end up in the ear is anyone's guess, but my theory is that it somehow became lodged in the opening of the Eustachian tube, causing a series of recurring episodes of inflammation which somehow moved the tooth along until it came to rest just behind the eardrum.

For the full story and pictures, visit the Daily Mail.

Teeth: the Historians of the Body

2010-10-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Shakira, we all know that "hips don't lie". While we each have our own experiences regarding the deceptiveness of hips, today's post proves to us that teeth don't lie. In fact, the teeth are key players in piecing together some of history's mysteries.

In 2005, archeologists discovered the "Boy with the Amber Necklace" buried within 3 miles of Stonehenge. They estimate him to be about 14 years old at the time of his death, and surmise that he was an important individual based on his rare jewelry.

Recently scientists were able to pinpoint where this boy came from - thanks to his teeth! Redorbit.com explains the process as follows:

As tooth enamel forms in the first few years of childhood, it stores a chemical record of the environment in which the individual lives. Two of the chemical elements found in the enamel (oxygen and strontium) exist in different forms, or isotopes.
The levels of the isotopes found in enamel are informative to scientists analyzing them.
Most oxygen in teeth and bone comes from drinking water -- which is derived from rain or snow. In warmer climates, drinking water contains higher levels of heavy oxygen (O-18), compared to light oxygen (O-16) found in cold climates. So comparing the oxygen isotope ratio in teeth with that of drinking water from different regions can provide information about the climate in which a person grew up.
Strontium -- found in most rocks in small amounts -- also varies according to local geology. The isotope ratio of strontium in a person’s teeth can provide information on the geological area from which an individual lived as a child.
By combining the analysis of both elements in the teeth, archaeologists can point out particular regions where a person may have been raised.

This has helped shed some light on the importance of Stonehenge. It turns out that the Boy with the Amber Necklace came from the area of the Mediterranean Sea. Another Stonehenge corpse, known as the "Ansbury Archer" underwent the same testing, and his teeth revealed him to be from the Alpine Hills of Germany.

Read more at Redorbit.com.

Also of interest is this article from the Guardian.

You Might be a Hygienist if.....

2010-09-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

Recently, the facebook page for "Dental Hygiene" posted that as their status and left it open to the fans. The responses were pretty entertaining, and here are some of the more popular ones, as judged by other fans:

You always carry floss in your purse and look at people's teeth when you meet them.

fulcrum when you put on lipgloss

Your back is killing you right now!

The smell of Listerine turn you on.

You get excited when calculus goes flying!!!

you know that calculus isn't math!

You smell perio while in a group of people and desperately look (sniff) around until you figure out who it is.

you laugh at the Braun Oral B commercials claiming to be dentist #1 recommended toothbrush. Ummmm.........who's with me on the Phillips Sonicare???

you watch people on the dental aisle while at the store to see which products they buy and have to resist telling them to buy something else because you think it's better

You ask a patient how many times a week they floss, as your gloves are filled with blood, only to hear 'at least 4 or 5'... And you try to keep a straight face without saying 'liarrrrr'...

When you can't help but go down the dental isle just to look.

You know what " PITA" stands for.

you can't find a job!

Just further evidence that you can't stare at teeth all day without becoming a little bit quirky. Read all the clever responses here.

MC Mong's Dental Draft Dodging

2010-09-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

We all know and love hip-hop star MC Mong, right?

Ok, for those of us who live outside of Korea, he's like their Justin Timberlake - known for his comic disposition and upbeat songs. MC Mong's real name is Shin Dong-hyun, which begs the question, with a name like Dong-hyun, why would you even need to come up with a stage name?

Anyhoo, the reason he showed up on my radar is that he got himself into a little trouble. He recently had three healthy teeth extracted in order to physically disqualify himself from Korea's mandatory two-year military requirement that all able-bodied males must fulfill.

The news stories (AP and Korea Times) don't specifically mention a dentist being involved, but both use terminology along the lines of "had healthy teeth extracted" rather than "pulled his own teeth". I don't have enough information to form a strong opinion regarding the dentist, but at the very least this brings up some serious ethical questions regarding non-maleficence vs. patient autonomy.

Ochocinco loses Quatro

2010-09-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

Ah, the beauty of twitter. Allowing our favorite stars and celebrities to share otherwise personal moments with the world. How else would you have ever seen photos of Cincinnati Bengal's wide receiver Chad Ochocinco posing with his wisdom teeth and exclaiming how awesome the sound was?

From his twitter page:

Why am i recording this entire procedure, sending a picture, don't open if you don't like the sight of blood 8:55 AM Sep 14th via twidroid

Awesomeness , you can hear the tooth tearing away from the flesh http://twitpic.com/2odntw 9:10 AM Sep 14th via Twitpic

That smile is still on point, lost my wisdom teeth doesn't mean I lose my wisdom http://twitpic.com/2odo7b 9:11 AM Sep 14th via Twitpic

How else would we have seen pictures of Demi Moore making fun of her toothless smile, and how else would we have realized how intelligent Lindsay Lohan was when she claimed to have post-extraction "phantom tooth pain"? Brilliant!

On that note, the Dental Ninja has decided to stealthily venture into the world of twitter. Twitter will allow me to share more with less. You see, my busy schedule as a daytime dentist/nighttime ninja allows me to blog about one or two stories each week. Generally for each story I share, there are 4 or 5 items of interest that don't make the cut. Henceforth I shall tweet them to you.

Follow me, the Dental Ninja, @dental_ninja

Introducing "Diastema"

2010-09-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

Maybe I didn't give the movie "Zoolander" enough credit. Rather than simply an entertaining comedy, stories like this one have helped me see it as more of an exposé of the weird world of fashion - a world I admittedly don't understand. Think about it - ask yourself which is more bizarre, Jacobim Mugatu (pictured above) launching the clothing line "Derelicte" inspired by the homeless vagrants of NYC, or David Delphin (pictured below) paying an orthodontist to intentionally separate his central incisors as a metaphor for the separation he was feeling after his father's death. This, to accompany the launch of his new clothing line "Diastema". I'm not joking. He named the clothing line diastema.

Delphin is unfortunately inspiring others in the modeling world to follow suit. This has been covered by many media outlets this week, but the original story appeared here in the Wall Street Journal, with a nice sideshow of what gap-toothed models look like.

Sidenote - at age 22 when I set my sights on a career in dentistry, I had an orthodontist close the gap in my front teeth. I had two reasons: 1) I realized that nobody would trust a dentist with crooked teeth and 2) fixing my smile could only improve my chances with the ladies. Maybe on some subconscious level I was doing this to symbolize the closeness I felt with my then (and now) living father. On second thought, I'll stick with the first two reasons.

Chilean Miners and Underground Toothaches

2010-09-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past month, by now you've heard about the men trapped in a collapsed Chilean mine. (Pun intended). In case you haven't, let wikipedia catch you up on the story.

The gist of it is that one month ago the roof collapsed, leaving 33 men stuck 700 meters below the surface. They have enough room and they seem to be pretty organized, having divided themselves into various groups in charge of care packages, security, and health. Experts are predicting the men will likely be stuck until sometime in December.

After two weeks, contact was made via a small bore-hole and the men were able to communicate with the outside world and request supplies. The first necessities they asked for were oxygen tanks and toothbrushes! Hooray for healthy teeth!

Unfortunately, with that many men stuck for that long, a couple of them have already developed toothaches. Yikes. According to the national emergency office, "...some of them have started to feel dental discomfort, on which the relevant treatment will be carried out." I would imagine one of the next care packages they get will include some pain killers, anesthetic, extraction instruments, and a few pages of detailed instruction on how to remove a tooth. I'd even throw in an Ipod with video clips demonstrating proper tooth removal! Either way, my heart sure goes out to these men and I hope and pray this story has a happy ending.

Do People Trust Dentists?

2010-08-26T14:37:00.000-07:00

Being the dental ninja, I keep a close eye on any news stories relevant to dentistry. Some of the more interesting or amusing stories I pass along to you, the reader. However, there are many news items I pass over simply because they are frustrating for me as a dental professional. These stories usually involve my colleagues who break and abuse the trust their patients have given them.

Take this pervert or this cheapskate, for example. It seems like once or twice each month another dentist is getting our profession the wrong kind of publicity. Occasionally I skim through the comments posted online in reaction to these stories. A few that stick out to me are one man claiming dentists are no better than used car salesmen and that money is the only topic discussed in continuing education meetings. Other comments have offered dental advice, claiming that if a tooth needs a root canal you might as well pull it because those never work! After reading enough of these you'd get the feeling that the public doesn't trust dentists as much as they used to.

Today I found a bit of reassuring news from the Baltimore Sun citing a poll done by Angie's List - a website that compiles consumer reviews of service companies. The poll showed that 80% of responders had a high level of trust in their dentists. Also interesting was that 25% admitted they don't follow their dentists directions and 30% admitted to lying to their dentist. (Guess what? We know.)

While 80% is not as high as I'd like to see, it's not too shabby, especially if you consider the segment of the population who don't trust anyone!

Hillary Duff's Dentist Saves the Day!

2010-08-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Perhaps as a testament to her compatibility with her professional hockey star hubby, Hillary Duff began her wedding day by CHIPPING a TOOTH! She explained to OK magazine, "I started my day with a chipped tooth! My wedding planner snuck me out to the dentist! Thank goodness it was fixed within the hour."

I'm sure the dentist didn't mind coming in early on a Saturday to be the hero. It's emergencies like this that help make being a dentist worthwhile. Rather than complaining that they have to see the dentist, emergency patients are typically very appreciative of what you do.

I haven't seen any photos of what her blemished smile looked like, so here's my own artist's rendition of what Hillary Duff might look like with a chipped tooth:

What Happens when you Brush your Teeth with a Bottle of Jack

2010-08-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

Maybe she woke up in the mornin' feelin like Lil Jon.
Maybe this was a result of hitting her head against the walls.
Either way, her judgment must be getting kind of hazy, because pop star Ke$ha recently opted for the shiny gold crown on her right maxillary canine, as reported in theblemish.com.

Look What I Can Pull out of my Mouth

2010-08-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

This week we'll take a look at various things passing through various mouths.

First off, as of late I've noticed a pretty cool trend in the medical field - surgeons are using the oral cavity as an entry/exit to the abdomen in general, thus avoiding those unsightly post-op abdomen scars. Recently at UCSD, surgeons utilized NOTES (Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery) to remove a gallbladder. Very minute incisions were still made in the abdomen for a camera and light, but the organ was removed via the mouth.

NOTES has also been used at the UCSD medical center to perform a sleeve gastrectomy. Basically, 80% of an obese lady's stomach was removed in order to help her feel full after eating less. My recommendation? Just imagine 80% of your stomach being removed through your mouth right before dinner and you'll lose your appetite without having to go through this procedure.

Read more from the LA times and foxnews.com.

Our next story comes to us from Svalbard, which, surprisingly is NOT the name of a piece of quaint, affordable furniture from Ikea, but rather a place in Norway where Arctic explorer Sebastian Nissen recently awoke to discover his head INSIDE the mouth of a polar bear. Gadzooks! Either that bear was very gentle (or sneaky like a ninja) or Sebastien was a little to wasted to be off exploring the Arctic. (Or maybe "exploring the Arctic" is just what the Norwegians call getting drunk in the wilderness).

Either way, the only insights we have into this episode are that Sebastian awoke, head in mouth, the bear then stood up, and Sebastian's friend shot the bear dead. During the estimated 60 seconds spent inside the bear's mouth, our hero reached for his shotgun only to find that the bear had wisely snapped the weapon in half. Again, I'm not sure if this supports the theory that the bear was a clever ninja or that Sebastian was drunk off his ÅNES. (That actually is a piece of furniture from Ikea).

Story from CBS.com

Lastly, here's a clip of the guy every dentist dreams about while extracting wisdom teeth or performing second-molar root canal therapy. The guy with the flip-top head:

I could imagine this guy waking up to find his head inside of his own mouth.

Winston Churchill's Teeth

2010-07-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

If you had an extra £15,200 ($23,675) lying around, then you could have been the proud new owner of the dentures worn by Winston Churchill. The chompers were recently purchased in an auction by a private collector, who also owns the microphone Churchill used to announce the end of the war. (Do you think he's going to hold the dentures in front of the microphone and use his hands to make the teeth move and re-enact that great moment? Because I totally would if I owned both the microphone AND the dentures.)

The teeth were expected to go for a mere £5000.

Here is some more Winston Churchill dental trivia, courtesy of newscore and oneindia.com:

Churchill claimed to have had terrible teeth and gums and needed complicated dentistry even in his childhood.
Churchill always carried a second set of dentures with him as a back-up (although there are no known instances of him ever needing the back-up set - unlike this free-spirited skydiver.)
Churchill appreciated his dentist, Willfred Fish, so much that he nominated him for knighthood.
I will name my next pet fish Willfred.
Willfred Fish's lab technician was drafted to serve in WWII, but Churchill personally intervened stating that the lab tech would be more important to the war effort if he stayed in London to repair Churchill's dentures.
Most babies resemble Winston Churchill. This doesn't have to do with his teeth, but it's worth mentioning. Seriously, look at him, now look at a baby. You see? And just to be clear - I'm not saying he looks like a baby. You don't look at him and think, "wow, he looks like a baby". No no, it's the other way around - babies look like him.

If I get Vampire Teeth, maybe then Edward will Notice me!

2010-07-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

We've been hearing over and over again how this is the worst recession since the 1930's - which very well may be true, but it doesn't really seem that bad when teenage girls are dropping $200 to get vampire teeth.

Here's the video from Houston's local Fox News:

In defense of the dentist, he isn't really doing anything different from other forms of "cosmetic" dentistry - he's just making her smile look worse, not better. Than again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? And when the beholder is a desperate teenage girl who dreams about Edward all day, beauty ends up looking like vampire fangs. In a way, this is nothing short of anti-cosmetic dentistry.

(Personally, I would have tried to talk her into letting me make much larger fangs, but instead of bonding them I would have secured them with temporary cement - that way she could attach and remove them as she pleases - kind of like the plastic ones I would play with as a kid. You know, back when it was socially acceptable to play make believe.)

Here's the full story from jsyk.com.

Tooth Loss, Cognitive Decline, and a Real-Life Example

2010-07-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

Coincidentally, the following two stories made headlines in the same day:

First, researchers at Boston U's dental school have concluded a prospective study which showed that for each tooth lost, the ability to perform well on a cognitive test decreased 8-10%. Scientists are hypothesizing that the decline could be related to the inflammation that accompanies tooth loss. Other studies have shown elevated inflammation markers in people who have Alzheimer's disease.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Story from physorg.com.

Need some proof? Look no further than Highway 402 in Ontario, Canada; where a trucker was recently charged with careless driving for performing some good old fashioned do-it-yourself dentistry on the go. (I guess this is actually a case of decreased cognitive ability during tooth loss, not after). The plan was to tie one end of a string to the roof of the cab with the other end around his tooth and then to wait for "one good bump" to pull it out - which is exactly what happened. The lone hiccup in his plan? The fact that he was "traveling erratically" as reported by another driver.

Just in case you're wondering, dentistry on wheels looks something like this:

Rally Car Dentistry - Watch more Funny Videos

Full story from CBC news.

Apparently we need a few more truckstop dentists out there! Seriously though people, driving under the influence of dentistry is a careless and selfish act that endangers everyone around you. Just avoid the temptation altogether. When you know you'll be driving, make sure you hire a designated dentist. Or if you're going to be doing dentistry, find a designated driver. Either way works.

Hamstring issues? Let's remove those teeth.

2010-07-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

If you follow Australian Rugby, then you don't need me to tell you that Rod Davies plays for the Queensland Reds in the Super 14 competition. Nope, I just mentioned that for the benefit of the rest of us who don't watch quite as much Australian Rugby.

Lately Davies has been having his on-field struggles with hamstring injuries. One of the solutions being considered is having his wisdom teeth taken out. What's that you say? For his hamstring injuries? That's right. Now, before you dismiss the dentist as a quack (as I almost did when I saw the headline), bear in mind that there is some sound logic at work here. The explanation is thus: if an individual has persistent pain in the mouth, this can cause them to hold their head at an unnatural position in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain. This places unnecessary strain on the spine, which in turn can contribute to pain in other areas.

A personal anecdote also supports this theory. The first tooth I ever extracted in my school's dental clinic was a maxillary canine. It took a few minutes, but when the tooth came out, the patient began moving his head around in circles. His face lit up as he looked at me and told me he hadn't had full range of motion in his neck for the past year, but now everything was fine! Even though I had no explanation, he was incredibly appreciative of what I had done for him.

Hopefully this doesn't become a trend, however. I'd sure hate to see a teenager come in to have all their teeth taken out for athletic reasons. Although I guess it would help them jump a little higher.

Full story from fox news.

Rocket Extraction

2010-06-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

Kid Attaches Loose Tooth To Rocket - Watch more Funny Videos

Classic! I love when parents can help the kids get over the fear of losing teeth (and dentistry in general) by doing things like this. Who knows? Perhaps grown-ups who come in for extractions would elect for the super-awesome "Rocket Extraction". I know if I had to lose a tooth, launching it with a rocket might make me feel a little better.

Oh Hollywood

2010-06-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Dentists have always been unfairly represented in entertainment media. Admittedly, we're an easy target - many people fear the dentist, so audiences can appreciate when the local DDS isn't normal, whether he or she is simply a sadistic weirdo or someone who's OCD behavior has pushed them over the edge.

Continuing in this trend, albeit with a new twist, it was announced this week that Jennifer Aniston is going to star in an upcoming comic-murder-thriller entitled "Horrible Bosses". The twist? Her role is that of a dentist who suffers from the same addiction Tiger Woods has. Critics are calling this her raunchiest role yet. Sounds like a winner. Not really.

There is some hope on the horizon, however. Last week it was announced that Hollywood heartthrob Uncle Jesse (aka John Stamos) will be starring as a dentist in season two of Glee. John Stamos? As in, the handsome devil I practically see when I look in the mirror? That john Stamos? Sweet. Please Hollywood, let his character be a good dentist (or at least a normal one)! I'm a little skeptical because he's supposed to play the rival love interest of the main guy who teaches the kids how to sing and dance (I don't watch the show, but my wife does so I'm somewhat familiar with it). Since Uncle Jesse is going to be the "other guy" the producers may see fit to give him a quirk or two in order to keep us from rooting for him. Stay tuned!

Losing a real tooth in a fake fight? Priceless.

2010-05-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

We all know that playing hockey can be hazardous to your teeth, but what about professional wrestling?

I'm not talking about mixed martial arts, I mean the performance wrestling. You know, fake? Pretend? Just don't tell this guy:

While you're thanking the performers "for all that you've done to your bodies", be sure to thank John Cena, who recently sacrificed one of his pearly whites in his bout vs. Batista. Cena tweeted that he spent 3 hours at the dentist the next day.

This of course begs the question, did Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson visit him that night?

Coke Machine Ninja Dress

2010-05-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

This. Is. Awesome.

Suppose you're a nice young lady being chased through the streets of Japan by a would-be attacker. Since you regularly read The Dental Ninja you know that ninjas are awesome and that the best way to get out of this situation is by being a stealthy ninja - but how?

If you have the skirt from fashion designer Aya Tsukioka, you blend in as a Coca-Cola machine!

Can you spot the damsel in distress?

Viola! Her utility-belt-wearing, texting-while-running, would-be attacker is THWARTED!

Read all about the fancy ninja dress and see more cool pics at the Daily Mail.

Speaking of ninjas, it's not cool to dress up as one and slash a teenager's forehead open while claiming to "protect the woods" - unless of course there is more to the story and you truly are protecting some mystical treasure, in which case, my apologies. But otherwise, seriously not cool.

Dental-related Decor

2010-04-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

Dental Ninja reader/dental hygienist Mike Danley has created a comic strip dubbed "Life in the Sulcus". Here's a sneak peek:

Much like this blog, the comics play on the unique knowledge and experiences we in the dental profession share. Head over to dentalposterart.com for more, as well as some deals on vintage dental related posters.

Here's one that's sure to impress patients:

Ok, maybe not so much, but on the bright side, look how far we've come as a profession!

Tyrant Leech King Discovered in Little Girl's Nose

2010-04-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

This sounds like a bad sci-fi movie, but three years ago scientists discovered a new animal - a leech with HUGE teeth, in the unlikely location of a 9-year-old Peruvian girl's nose.

I can picture the 1st day of school getting-to-know-you activity now:

"So, tell us something interesting about yourself"

"They discovered a new animal in my nose once"

As far as leeches go, this one was so fierce it was dubbed Tyrannobdella Rex a.k.a. the tyrant king of the leeches. This isn't the only leech with dentition, but the chompers on the tyrant king are 5 times larger than any other leech. The teeth only line one jaw, and the tyrant uses them in a sawing motion to open up a wound and cause bleeding.

How do I know if a tyrant king is living in my nose?
Victims typically report a frontal headache. So, next time you are in Peru and have a headache, just think - maybe there's a king in your nose!

Full story with pictures and other leech fun-facts from foxnews.com

Dentists have phobias too

2010-04-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Dr. Jason Bodnar is afraid of bridges. I know what you're thinking, a dentist? Afraid of bridges? And no, I'm not talking about bridges of the dental variety but rather the traditional "bridges" people drive around on over water. (Although he quite possibly encourages patients to get implants instead of bridges because he doesn't like the word "bridge". He didn't say that, I'm just thinking this might be the case).

Despite this fear, Dr. Bodnar ran 7 miles in just 37 minutes 43 seconds to win first place in the race dubbed the "Seven Mile Bridge Run" - the entire course taking place on a bridge.

How did he do it? "....when I'm running, I stay toward the middle and don't look side to side."

He may be onto something here. Imagine how much faster you would run if, during the race, you were accompanied by your biggest fear but you knew that upon finishing, the source of anxiety would be gone? Don't be surprised if this becomes a popular trend, and you soon see marathon runners being followed by spiders, snakes, and maybe even a dentist or two.

Full story from USA Today.

We Droppin' Finish Lines

2010-04-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

I'm sure dental students everywhere can appreciate this little diddy done by dental students at MUSC.

Open wide......wider.....WIDER!!!

2010-04-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

This news item made me realize that no matter how difficult it is to get a good look at the teeth of a small child - it could always be worse! Recently the Loyola University Medical Center donated a CT-scanning machine to the Brookfield Zoo. This enabled the zoo's veterinarians to finally do a thorough evaluation of the teeth of an aardvark.

Just to refresh your memory, this is an aardvark:

Apparently tooth decay is an issue with elderly aardvarks. In the wild, they typically live around 10 years, which generally isn't long enough for tooth decay to become a major problem. However, in captivity the animals do much better and can live as long as 30 years, during which time tooth decay is typical. Full story from the Chicago Tribune.

The aardvarks unique dentition is also worth noting. From wikipedia:

One of the most distinctive characteristics of the Tubulidentata is (as the name implies) their teeth. Instead of having a pulp cavity, each tooth has a cluster of thin, upright, parallel tubes of vasodentin (a modified form of dentin), with individual pulp canals, held together by cementum. The teeth have no enamel coating and are worn away and regrow continuously. The aardvark is born with conventional incisors and canines at the front of the jaw, which fall out and are not replaced.

They are the only remaining species on earth to exhibit tubulidentata.

More on Tiger's Teeth

2010-04-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

Last December I passed along some gossip from a tabloid which stated that the wife of Tiger Woods performed an extraction on one of his incisors using a cell phone from across the room. This she did in her fury after, you know, finding everything out.

As the master golfer returns to his sport, it seems that at least one fan has noticed a difference in his smile.

Notice the slight darkened appearance of #9. Perhaps there is some truth to the rumor? It's not the best quality picture but one can certainly speculate that the central incisor may have been avulsed and replanted.

Incidentally, if you plan on playing "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10," or any other video game for that matter, perhaps you would be wise to first read about the new research from the University of Iowa showing a correlation between the amount of time spent playing video games and the incidence of tooth decay. Apparently hard-core gamers are more than twice as likely to have tooth decay than people who lead more active lifestyles.

Some Ninja-esque Dental Vengeance

2010-04-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

An important figure in ninja folklore is Kumawaka - a 13 year old boy who used what would eventually become key aspects of ninjutsu (namely stealth, cleverness, and deception) in avenging the death of his father.

Recently, an oral surgeon in Washington, Dr. Clem Pellet, similarly tracked down his grandfather's killer using the not-so-ninja-like qualities of persistence and hiring a private detective. It turns out that the man escaped parole in 1969 after serving a 15 year prison sentence, completely vanished, and was recently re-discovered operating a wedding chapel in Arizona.

Actually, Dr. Pellet seems even less like a ninja when he was quoted as saying, "I'd like to talk to him. What happens to him is up to the justice system. He's 78-years-old. I just have no animosity towards him at this point."

Either way, the Dental Ninja salutes you, Dr. Pellet, for your excellence in both dentistry AND criminal justice.

Read the full story from the king5.com local news.

Dental Hygiene in the Animal Kingdom

2010-03-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

Recently in a Zurich, Switzerland zoo, a zebra laughed in the face of death as it spent 15 minutes cleaning the teeth of a hungry hungry hippo.

FYI, the hippo is the third largest animal in the world, can open it's giant mouth 150 degrees, and has enough bite strength to snap a small boat in half - think about THAT next time a little kid bites your finger!

In my office, we recently began using the Zooby Prophy Angles made by Denticator. One of the animals kids can choose from is a Zebra, which is why this story made me laugh. Who knew, Zebra's really are skilled dental hygienists! Full story from the telegraph.

In related news, an Alaskan dentist (of the human variety) recently got a bald eagle back in the high life by repairing a damaged beak using temporary crown material and a yellow highlighter. This guy is like MacGyver, Steve Irwin, and, uh, a dentist all rolled into one bird-saving hero! Read about it in timesonline.

Jessica Simpson's Oral Hygiene

2010-03-15T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last week Jessica Simpson admitted that she doesn't brush her teeth. Instead, she occasionally opts to use Listerine and a sweater in her oral hygiene regimen. That's right, Listerine......... and a sweater.

Watch the full, painful interview clip here:

Those of you who watched her reality TV show "The Newlyweds" could have guessed that her teeth were being neglected. I dug up this recap of episode two, in which she is referred to the endodontist for root canal therapy. From this episode we learn:

She never flosses, and even states that she hates it "with a passion". (really?)
She hates the dentist. She didn't mention whether or not she hates ninjas, so maybe I'm still ok.
She was told she had three cavities, which she then let progress to the point of needing at least one root canal.

With last week's lunch still stuck between her chompers, Jessica exemplifies my definition of "Ninjavitis" perfectly - deceptively bad breath that sneaks up on you like a ninja when you least expect it.

The Nightmare Patient

2010-03-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

In dentistry, as in any business, people will feel from time to time that they are being over-charged. Such was the case with UK resident Peter McShane who complained, was reimbursed for his expenses, but then for some reason decided that wasn't enough and took it upon himself to sabotage the dental practice.

His methods included injecting the door locks with super-glue and stealing plaques off of the wall. (FYI - that's not the plaque removal we want you to focus on, Peter.) To top it off he left a fake bomb in front of the doorway one morning. The device consisted of a brick, some wires and a ticking alarm clock in a large box.

The thing that makes this story so remarkable is that THE DUDE WAS 84 YEARS OLD! Closed-circuit security camera footage (which I would love to see) showed him dragging the box across the parking lot and taking a break halfway there. The news story says he took the breather because the box was so heavy, but I have another theory - he was 84!

Read the full story from the Telegraph.

Smoking Can Cause Tooth Loss

2010-03-04T08:19:00.000-08:00

And in this case, it can cause instantaneous tooth loss. Six to be exact. Because the cigarette EXPLODED!

Although the Indonesian tobacco company apologized and compensated the victim the equivalent of $535 (that should cover six implants, right?), I personally think this is a great idea. Most smokers are aware that the habit has severe negative impacts on their health - why put it off? If one out of every 100 cigarettes randomly exploded at some point, people might reconsider lighting up.

Full story from the BBC News.

Ninja Sword saves the day!

2010-03-01T08:05:00.000-08:00

Or, how about, not really? This news story started out as a brave teenager who defended his dog from the vicious and brutal attack of a mountain lion using a ninja sword! What a hero!

When the local fish & game officer investigated he discovered the story to be absolutely true - that is, if you replace "mountain lion" with "raccoon". The dog in question? 1/2 German Shepherd, 1/2 Pitt Bull - a beast that no doubt needed the help of a sword-wielding teenager to protect it from the much smaller raccoon.

Full story from KGO-TV in San Francisco.

Here's another theory - the boy was telling the truth all along, but out of fear that the true power of a ninja sword would come to light, a band of REAL ninjas swept in after the incident and replaced all the cougar tracks with raccoon tracks!

Bullet-proof boobs?

2010-02-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

Ok maybe not "bullet proof", but this woman's recently acquired D-cup implants most likely saved her life when they slowed down the bullet, causing it to stop a mere 1 cm away from her heart!

Hear me out - this story does have to do with dentistry. Sort of. The shooting happened in an L.A. area dental office where she worked.

Full story from the L.A. Times.

A Warning to all Olympians:

2010-02-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

Don't bite your medals. You could end up like David Moeller, the German luger (not loser) who was so happy with his silver medal that he couldn't help but bite it, causing him to chip a tooth.

Story from the Huffington Post.

I'd recommend a nice "silver filling" to fix that one.

Hell hath no fury....

2009-12-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

According to the gossip in Star Magazine, Tiger Woods has been laying low - not because of his embarrassment or his lack of a good explanation - no, he's been in hiding because he's missing a tooth! In addition to her expensive rampage chasing him through his home with a golf club, wife Elin supposedly threw a phone at the golfer and it cost him one of his chompers.

Who knew? Golfers need to wear mouthguards too!

That's one way to pull a tooth

2009-12-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

A Musical Dental Experience

2009-10-10T12:17:00.001-07:00

Enjoy!

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Teeth - is there anything they can't do?

2009-10-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

In a news story you have to see to believe, Doctors recently performed a procedure known as "osteo-odonto kerato prostheses" on a woman in south Florida. Ok you smarty pants readers, before you read on, let's hear your guesses as to what this procedure might do. In the meantime, here's a huge hint:

Yup, they ironically implanted her canine, aka "eye tooth" inside her eye, to hold a prosthetic lens in place! Read the full, interesting, and somewhat bizarre story here (Fox News).

Orbital Hygiene

2009-05-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

Last week, gizmodo.com featured an interesting post by astronaut/blogger Leroy Chiao on the challenges of brushing your teeth in space. He pointed out that some normally difficult tasks are actually much easier in zero gravity - i.e. moving a large appliance like a refrigerator. On the flip side, some simple tasks (like oral hygiene) can be much more challenging. After all, when was the last time you lost the cap to the toothpaste and had to look for it on the ceiling? NASA learned long ago that it's a good idea to only send toothpaste tubes with non-detachable lids into orbit.

The major difference is that all the little articles must be meticulously velcroed, bungeed, or held in your hand so as not to misplace anything. Adding to the challenge is the fact that the water must be carefully dispensed from a little pouch in order to prevent what I picture to be a "crazy space spill". And then there's the question of what to do with your mouthful of water and toothpaste. NASA's solution? Swallow it. Makes sense. If you're only in space for a week at a time it's probably no big deal, even if it's a little gross. I'd be interested to know what the astronauts who live in the international space station do. If any astronauts happen to read this, please, let me know.

See the full article at gizmodo.com for more.

Follow Up - Britain's got "DJ" Talent

2009-04-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

My old friend DJ Talent, the "celebrity" I interviewed shortly after beginning this blog, is back in the public spotlight! Check out the fresh beats this "self confessed bad boy" lays down for Simon Cowell:

Perhaps he won't resort to selling the gold after all? Here's the irony - the only way that selling used gold crowns would be profitable is if this competition significantly boosts his celebrity status which would add value to the chompers. If that were to happen, he wouldn't be so hard-up for cash and would want to keep the gold teeth because they are a part of his image. I think it's safe to say he'll be keeping them in until recurrent decay has its way with the teeth.

Good luck in the competition DJ Talent.

Incensed over an Incisor

2009-04-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

When Savannah Simmons asked her dentist to fabricate her dentures using a gold maxillary lateral incisor as a tribute to her late father, she had no idea that the tooth would one day find itself at the center of a little controversy. That's because she didn't anticipate being included in a Rhodes College project through its Center for Outreach and Development of the Arts, and certainly couldn't have guessed that her grinning mug would find its way onto a giant, highly visible wall in downtown Memphis.

Enter one Gregory Grant, a man who balances his duties as president of the Memphis chapter of Al Sharpton's National Action Network with the time he spends as a Memphis tour guide. On a recent tour, Grant noticed the new mural and was "incensed" at the racial stereotype. He complained to the university, saying "The next thing I know you'll have a little boy sitting on a riverbank eating watermelon."

When it was explained to Grant that the woman in the mural was indeed a real person and not a fictitious racial stereotype, he quickly changed his tune and issued a press release inviting the public to this Sunday's debut party for the mural, which "shows Memphis as a harmonious city -- a city that embraces its diversity."

In Grant's defense, his duties with the National Action Network include constantly "telling young people to take the gold teeth out and pull your pants up."

Wise ninja say, be slow to anger lest ye find yourself quite the fool.

Source article at commercialappeal.com

A ray of hope....

2009-04-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

Reading the news the past several months hasn't brought a lot of good news. Until today. Ninja Turtles "origins" movie slated for 2011. Cowabunga!

Follow Up - Tiny Tim's Teeth

2009-04-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

For those of you who recently read about the famous musician's dental models and thought to yourself, "Aw, shucks. Too bad I didn't know about this item earlier because I totally would have won that auction!" - I have some great news!!!

I was just contacted by the ebay seller and informed that there is yet another of Tiny Tim's dental models up for grabs between now and April 30th. This one is half of an arch which was used to fabricate a crown on the lower right 2nd molar (aka tooth #31 here in the states).

Click here to check it out and place your bid.

A couple interesting things about Tiny Tim based on this photo are that he never had his wisdom teeth removed and that he had a severe arch length discrepancy, demonstrated by the funky position of the canine.

Ninjavitis

2009-04-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

Ninjavitis, as currently defined by the urban dictionary:

1. An oral condition that causes ones breath to be so noxious that it can sneak up on unsuspecting people and be nearly fatal.
2. When the physical state of ones mouth is so repugnant that it looks like a skilled ninja has drop-kicked them squarely in the mouth.

1. I heard that John is in the hospital, cuz he went to kiss Sheila goodnight, and her ninjavitis made him go into shock.
2. god rest his soul, but ODB musta been in a fight with the RZA cause even his goldfronts had sum ninjavitis.

Personally, I think the definition should be expanded to include the very ninja-esque art of deception. For example, you see a seemingly healthy mouth, but as you go in for the kiss, BOOM, ninjavitis!

To demonstrate, this pirate mouth has been raped and pillaged by Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (that's one of the main gum-disease causing bacteria, for all you anti-dentites). It will obviously present with an odor capable of killing a small family of squirrels. If you ever snuggle up with a pirate, you deserve what you get:

Conversely, an attractive mouth, as can be found on actress Eva Mendes (recently voted best celebrity smile by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry), has the potential to deceive you in a halitosal sneak attack of epic proportions:

While the Dental Ninja has never been close enough to Eva Mendes to determine whether or not she has ninjavitis, other dentists have documented similar cases which were subsequently published in peer-reviewed, scientific journals such as this one: (click to enlarge)

(see evil-comic.com for more)

Be on the lookout for Ninjavitis, and if you happen see any more case studies of this deadly new epidemic please send them my way.

(Special thanks to DN reader Melissa Stewart, a hygiene student from Virginia, for the idea for this post!)

The Teeth of Tiny Tim Turn a Profit

2009-04-16T01:02:00.000-07:00

Pirates suck
Before proceeding with my usual noteworthy dental story, I'd like to take a minute to congratulate the U.S. Navy Seals on their recent 3-0 victory over the Somali Pirates. As a ninja, I'm naturally a sworn enemy to pirates and am always delighted to see them defeated. When was the last time you heard of a ninja defeat? In fact, when was the last time you heard of a ninja? Exactly. Ninja victories come and go and you are none the wiser. Because we're NINJAS! For the rest of this month I'm declaring all Navy Seals honorary ninjas.

That first impression.....
Next time you're struggling to get that perfect impression - the one that would satisfy the sternest of dental bosses or cranky prosthodontic instructors - just keep this in the back of your mind: someday, this patient might become famous, and if they do, and if you hang onto the models, you could totally make some money on ebay!!!!!

That's what happened with the dental models of American musician "Tiny Tim." A recent upi.com article details the journey of the models from the wife of the late musician, to a fan from Massechusets, to ebay, to the buyer in Texas, earning a cool $1500 along the way.

For those of you who, like me, saw the headline and thought of the humble little crippled boy from "A Christmas Carol," here's a sample of the other Tiny Tim, whose legs appear to function just fine. His voice? Well, you decide:

Some Unusual Dental Woes

2009-04-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

A couple news stories stood out to me this week.

The first involves the band called "Hold Steady." Never heard of them? Here they are in a recent performance on The Late Show with David Letterman:

You'll notice how much the lead singer bounces his head around while performing. Well, it turns out that rappers aren't the only ones losing their teeth at concerts lately. In a recent interview with spinner.com, frontman Craig Finn confided:

"It's embarrassing, but I've bashed my teeth on my microphone and knocked them out five times. Now, I put a foam thing over it like a windscreen for protection."

The microphone? Five times? Really?!? There are guys who spend an entire hockey career losing less teeth than that! In another preventative measure, Finn mentioned that during concerts there is now "less beer onstage." Somehow I get the feeling there used to be a lots and lots of beer onstage.

This week's second dental oddity comes from Zac Sunderland, a 17-year-old southern Californian who is attempting to be the youngest person to sail around the world alone. Before departure, he wisely saw his dentist who informed him that his wisdom teeth should probably come out within 6 months.

Lo and behold, 9 months into the journey he began having some dental pain due to the 3rd molars. He shared his experience on his blog, claiming "Now one of them is pressing on my back molar and feels like it is on fire."

Not to worry, he was able to get some advice from his dentist and in his next post he claimed that the pain had subsided. Good luck Zac, hopefully you won't end up having the same experience as Chuck Noland in the movie "Cast Away."
(Full story found in the LA Times)

The Case of the Mysterious Molars

2009-04-08T23:26:00.000-07:00

Picture this: You're in the woods enjoying a leisurely walk just southeast of Rochester, Minnesota. You happen upon a suspicious mesh bag hanging from a tree about five feet off the ground. Like the curious little raccoon you are, you look in side the bag only to discover a glass jar, which you of course promptly open and find a rolled up sock along with several human teeth. Bizarre? You bet.

Since I've been reading "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" this week the solution was, to me, quite obvious. You see, when you apply the proper deductive reasoning it becomes glaringly obvious that the teeth were obviously... well... ok I'd probably be stumped. So was the woman to whom this happened. She called the local police who were also baffled. The mystery was finally solved when a member of the Southeast Minnesota Search and Rescue Squad called to explain that they had been using the items to train their dogs and that they must have left it behind, which I find just a little ironic.

Full article can be found here (post-bulletin.com).

Is it in you?

2009-04-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

Normally I like to stay away from the science and stick with "dental entertainment" news, but this recent study from NYU college of dentistry was pretty interesting. Popular sports drinks such as gatorade, powerade, and propel are just as bad for your teeth as soft drinks, if not worse. This isn't news. What is new is the discovery that it's better to wait 30 minutes between consuming said sports drinks and brushing your teeth! The science says that the acidic drinks de-mineralize and weaken the enamel to the point that normal toothbrush abrasion takes a much bigger toll. Conversely if one waits before brushing, the saliva has a chance to re-mineralize the tooth surface making it more resistant to toothbrush wear. Who new? NYU knew, that's who. Full news article here (Forbes.com).

And finally, just so this post isn't all business, allow me to share with you the Pirates vs. Ninjas mobile (for a baby crib). Coincidentally I happen to be expecting my second little ninja warrior in about a month. Unfortunately it's currently sold out, which isn't really surprising when you consider its inherent awesomeness.

T-Pain lives up to his name

2009-04-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

How's this for irony? The rapper "T-Pain" recently suffered a dental injury in which he lost four anterior teeth! Unfortunately for T-Pain, this injury did nothing for his street cred. Immediately after it happened, rumors began circulating that he crashed his golf-cart while backstage. He addressed these rumors at a concert several days later:

“There's a lot of talk that I flipped over in a golf cart…That's f---ing true."

The full article can be found here (MTV.co.uk). Personally, I think this is a great opportunity to start the next big hip-hop dental fad. Gold teeth have been done, grillz are so played out, and diamonds are just too expensive for the average would-be rapper. T-Pain, I hereby issue you the challenge to come up with the next big thing that will keep guys like me busy doing totally unnecessary procedures for up-and-coming rappers trying to make a name for themselves. Show me what you've got.

If you have no idea who this T-Pain fellow is, check out this music video he recently did with "The Lonely Island." It's a parody on the part of hip-hop culture that dictates how rappers must flaunt all their wealth in their music videos. I must warn you, even though this video is edited, it's still pretty explicit:

Spring Break

2009-03-21T09:00:00.001-07:00

The Dental Ninja will be away from the computer for a while, but be sure to check back in a week or two for more neat-o stories! In the meantime, feel free to read about my brush with a cinnamon-flavored death on my personal blog.

Negotiating prices with the dentist

2009-03-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

This is pretty funny if you haven't already seen it. I apologize about the sound quality but it was this way on every version of this video that I found, so I think it was originally like this. Enjoy:

Celebrity Dentist Spotlight: George Hardy

2009-03-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

There are basically two types of people in this world: those who have seen the movie "Troll 2" and those who haven't. If you find yourself in the latter group, I suggest you do something about it. I was introduced to this cinematic masterpiece about 10 years ago by some of my, let's say, "more cultured" high school friends.

Troll 2 has recently been heralded as the "best worst movie" and is the subject of a new documentary of the same title. A few highlights that have stuck with me, aside from the spot-on writing and superb acting, were when I noticed a fly landing on the camera lens and then flying away a moment later. Nobody else in the room saw it so we had to go back and watch it again. There was also the point in the movie when a stage hand walked onto the set during an intense fighting scene, realized his mistake, and backed away around a corner. Everyone in the room saw that one.

What I didn't know until this week was that the actor who played Michael Waits, the father of the vacationing family, is a dentist! In a recent interview with Hollywood Insider, George Hardy shares with us how he got involved in such an epic project. A patient of his, who happened to be an actress, told him he should audition for a film being shot in Park City. Armed with only his high school drama background, Hardy was ecstatic when he landed the second lead! He spent the next three weeks alternating between filming and dentistry.

Hardy knew this was no ordinary film when he realized that the crew consisted entirely of Italians who didn't speak English. The lone translator was their wardrobe lady with a background in Italian porn, which is sort of ironic. Do porn movies really need wardrobe people? Hardy thinks that the language barrier was the main reason the movie turned out so weird and remembers sitting in a corner trying, and failing, to make any sense of the script.

Now, 19 years later, Hardy accepts and even embraces his part in one of the worst movies of all time and loves the attention he gets from adoring fans everywhere!

For those of you who still need some convincing, here's a clip I found that highlights some of the wonders of this film, but I strongly recommend just getting the movie instead.

You can't piss on hospitality!

Truckstop Dentist

2009-03-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

CNN had an interesting article this week about Dr. Thomas P. Roemer, a dentist with a unique niche. Years ago he noticed several referrals coming into his office from the nearby Iowa 80 Truckstop. (This is no ordinary gas station, folks. The compound sprawls over 200 acres and caters to all things trucker).

Eventually Dr. Roemer realized that he was making more money from his emergency pulpotomies and extractions than he was with the whole gamut of procedures in his general practice, so he closed his doors and set up a one-man operatory within the Iowa 80 Truckstop.

There are several advantages to this practice style. First, it's recession proof. People don't spare any expense when they are in agonizing pain. Second, extremely low overhead expenses. It's practically just the Dr. and the forceps! Third, relieving a patient of their pain can be one of the most rewarding experiences in dentistry because of the sincere appreciation for the service. Some of my best dental school moments have come while working the urgent care block.

The disadvantages? I'm not sure I could spend my whole career doing extractions. At a truckstop. In Iowa. But hey, to each his own! Full article found here at cnn.com.

Sacred Tooth Relic

2009-03-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

If any Dental Ninja readers happen to be in Sri Lanka this week, don't miss your chance to visit the Sacred Tooth Relic! Today is the first day of the public exposition which will happen every afternoon until March 16th. Over a million people are expected to visit and pay homage to the tooth, thus invoking blessings of peace and prosperity on the country. More info found in Sri Lanka's Daily News.

What is the Sacred Tooth, you ask? Only the most storied tooth that ever was! Legend has it that after his death, Buddha's body was cremated and somebody retrieved a canine tooth from the pile of ashes. The tooth became a royal possession, and a legend grew that whoever possessed the tooth had a right to rule the land. Consequently wars were fought over possession of the tooth, which I'm sure is exactly what the enlightened one would want.

At one point a King, know as Paandu, decided it would be in everyone's best interest to destroy the tooth. Before he could carry out his plans, a miracle happened and he was converted to Buddhism, and of course he then spared the tooth. The tooth survived other attempts to destroy it and eventually was smuggled to Kandy, Sri Lanka where it resides today.

Here is a picture of the temple housing the canine in Sri Lanka:

Teeth showing up in the most peculiar places

2009-03-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday a lucky Wal-mart shopper near Boston happened upon a wallet full of teeth on one of the store shelves. In a completely unnecessary (and untrue) statement, police explained that they can't perform DNA testing because there was no blood or gum tissue attached. What they should have said was that they could access the pulp chambers and do DNA testing, but why on earth would they? To send a message to the rest of us that if we leave our teeth somewhere, they'll find us? Full story at the Boston Globe.

Next we have a story that happened last month in Illinois. Jennifer Napolitano ordered a sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts and discovered, yes, a tooth. Actually this might be a case where DNA testing would come in handy. The source of the tooth would answer a few questions, and based on the amount of people named in Jennifer's lawsuit (4 people and 7 corporations) it would probably be worth it. Jennifer claims that she, "suffered great pain and aguish, both in mind and body, and in the future continues to suffer." Coincidentally, that's exactly how I describe dental school. Full story from Chicago's CBS news.

Lastly, a mystery surrounding a set of dentures that were built into a wall in the British town of Steyning, has recently been solved. An 81-year old claims to have know two guys by the name of Jack and Horace, and they put the teeth into the wall in 1954 as a joke. Since then, various accounts as to the denture's origins have been passed told and re-told. The city is actually asking for someone to donate a new set of teeth so the town can keep the folklore going after the wall is re-built. If you're interested in donating your old dentures, the article found in the Chichester Observer encourages you to visit the construction site.

Happy National Tooth Fairy Day

2009-02-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

That's right. According to the Census Bureau Daily, February 28th is National Tooth Fairy Day. To celebrate, the Dental Ninja is giving you some "Tooth Fairy Fun Facts."

In early European times, it was custom to bury one's baby teeth. This is likely due to the superstition that if a witch happens to get a hold of it, she could put a curse on you. The best way to keep it away from the witches is to bury it.
Spanish-speaking countries believe in a "tooth mouse" rather than fairy. The character, known as the "Ratón Pérez" first appeared in a story written for eight-year old Alfonso XIII, as one of his teeth had fallen out. The story stuck, and the character has even been used by Colgate for marketing in Venezuela and Spain.
The 18th century French fairy tale "La Bonne Petite Souris" depicts a tooth mouse who morphs into a fairy to help a good queen defeat an evil king by hiding under his pillow. She then tortures him by knocking out all his teeth! This begs the question, why hasn't Disney turned this lovely little tale into a movie?
Scotland's lowland areas have a tradition which, like the French fairy tale, combines a mouse and a fairy. The little lads and lassies eagerly await the visit from a white fairy mouse which purchases the teeth with coins.
India, Korea, and Vietnam have traditions similar to that of the Japanese in that they throw the exfoliated teeth, however, they aren't as concerned with throwing them straight. Instead, these children throw it and shout a request for the tooth to be replaced by a rodent's tooth. It has something to do with the fact that rodent teeth never stop growing.
Children in parts of India will offer their discarded teeth to the sun.
The Tooth Fairy as we know her today isn't actually that old. Folklore researchers find the first references around 1900.

Since so many cultures believe in a mouse-fairy combo, I've taken it upon myself to create this composite image to help my fellow Americans visualize what a mouse-fairy might look like:

And, just in case you need a little help explaining the whole Tooth Fairy concept to your little ones, here's a little example from our friends Chris and Brian:

Dentist: The ultimate Scottish celebrity

2009-02-25T22:08:00.000-08:00

If you watch Grey's Anatomy, you may recognize this character, Dr. Owen Hunt:

What you might not have known is that actor Kevin McKidd hails from Scotland, and while his TV show character may be all business, he can be quite the kidder. Recently he told Ellen Degeneres that the locals in his hometown thought he was "nuts" for pursuing a career in acting, and that "the biggest celebrity you can become in Scotland is a dentist." Full story from the Daily Record.

How about that? Maybe I need to start promoting my blog across the pond.

Meredith Vieira's Parafunction

2009-02-21T23:54:00.000-08:00

During the Super Bowl Festivities earlier this month, Meredith Vieira chipped a tooth while trying to tear off a wrist band. This unfortunate incident happened right after I published the warning message from the inhabitants of Iran's Burnt City regarding the dangers of PARAFUNCTION! Obviously Meredith is not a regular reader of the Dental Ninja. Meredith, if someone happens to point this blog out to you, seriously, just use scissors. They're so much cheaper!

But you probably know that now.

This isn't the first time she's had dental woes. In 2007 she awoke one morning to discover two chipped front teeth. It was likely due to an ice skating mishap the night before, although she has been known to grind her teeth at night.

Here are some classic moments involving Meredith and some pain that is not of the dental variety:

You can't help but feel bad for these poor contestants, who obviously had a giant brain fart at the worst possible time!

Also, for those of you who've been wondering, here's a quick follow up to the story of the German dentist who broke into the patient's home to take back his handiwork: The dentist was found guilty of assault and fined 6000 Euros. The patient no longer wears dentures because of the distress caused by the incident.

There's no Tooth Fairy - at least not in Japan

2009-02-19T00:43:00.000-08:00

That's right, according to a kotaku.com blog entry earlier this week, when little Japanese boys and girls lose a tooth they don't bother putting it under the pillow. Instead, the custom is to give it a good toss. Maxillary teeth get thrown down towards the ground and mandibular teeth are thrown into the air (the same direction they grow). The trick is to throw the tooth as straight as possible because this ensures that the permanent tooth comes in straight.

While this may seem like a bad deal for the child, if it actually worked the family would come out way ahead because of the decreased need for pricey orthodontic work! I'd gladly give my son $10 for each tooth he can get to grow in straight. Better go work on that aim.

Abraham Lincoln Dental Trivia

2009-02-14T23:53:00.000-08:00

This past week was the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. To celebrate, most employers give their workers something that we in the dental world enjoy on a regular basis: a four-day work week!

Although there are more books written about this man than any other American, here are a few nuggets you might not have known:

A dentist broke off part of Lincoln's jaw bone while pulling a tooth without anesthesia. The extraction may have taken place in Louisville, KY in Sept. 1841.
It has been said that Lincoln was afraid of dentists, which would make sense given what you just learned. In 1862 Lincoln developed a severe toothache and consulted Dr. G. S. Wolf, who had an office near the White House. As Wolf prepared to pull the tooth, Lincoln asked him to wait. Lincoln "took a container of chloroform from his pocket, inhaled it deeply, and sleepily gave the signal for the dentist to proceed."
During his campaign for the Presidency, Lincoln liked to recount how during his childhood he was kicked in the teeth by a horse and "apparently killed for a time." I bet if you asked him he'd tell you the experience was a good preparation for a life in politics.
Honest Abe, centuries ahead of his time, was the first to sport a "gangsta grill" when he dawned the flashy chompers for the music video debut of his 1859 hit single "Get Ur Union On."

All information was taken from doctorzebra.com and abrahamlincolnarchive.com, except for that last one about the music video. That was actually something I learned from my own research, so, if you need a citation for a research paper, just write "Dental Ninja" and I'm sure it will be fine.

Bacon Floss

2009-02-11T21:15:00.001-08:00

The Dental Ninja is in Washington DC this week, lobbying on behalf of the American Student Dental Association. Being involved in ASDA is one of the most rewarding things I've done while in dental school. Tomorrow I'll be meeting with members of congress and asking for funding for the National Health Service Corps (also here) as well as Meth-mouth prevention.

These are issues that matter to me and I'm glad I can be involved. Click on the links if you're interested in the dirty details. If not, let me leave you with a great find from Dental Ninja reader Amy. Ladies and Gentelmen, I give you bacon-flavored floss.

So you can clean your teeth and continue to enjoy that nice bacon flavor just a little longer. If any Dental Ninja readers order this product, please let me know how it goes.

Laughing Gas Kid and Mr. Do-It-Yourself

2009-02-07T14:46:00.001-08:00

Several people have brought this clip to my attention this week. Freakin' hilarious:

This happened last summer after 7-year-old David had some dental work done. After just one week on YouTube it's already had over 5 million views! Here is some background from the boy's father:

This is my 7 year old son who had an extra tooth removed last summer, 2008.

I had the camera because he was so nervous before and I wanted him to see the before and after.

He was so out of it after, I had to carry him out of the office. The staff was trying to keep from laughing. I had tears from laughing so hard.

He is doing fine now and the teeth are great.

Classic!

Also worth reporting this week was the story of a man who probably wishes he had the benefit of Nitrous Oxide. Ian Boyntan, a 42-year-old British veteran who served as a medic in Iraq in 2003, was so frustrated trying (and failing) to find an NHS dentist that he took matters into his own hands. Over the last two years he has removed 13 of his own teeth using a pair of pliers. He claims to have suffered from an excruciating toothache since 2006. Looking at the pictures provided in the article, I can see at least six possible toothaches.

I can also say that this guy is pretty good. I see 11 intact teeth without broken root tips. My guess is that the other two teeth were so decayed that they crumbled apart on the way out. I'd say 11/13 isn't bad for amateur hour. He apparently also has a good bedside manner when treating himself. He claims, "Amazingly, it did not hurt as much as you might think."

Dental Dreaming

2009-02-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

Since beginning dental school, I've had several dreams that involve my teeth. Several times I've dreamed that my teeth were cracking and falling apart. In talking with my classmates I've learned that I'm not the only one who has had this dream.

Last night was perhaps my most bizarre dental dream yet. I was looking in the mirror and examining my teeth, each one of which happened to be about the size of golf ball! This was actually completely normal for some reason. What wasn't normal was the awful condition of my pearly whites. I was so embarrassed because I clearly had several cavities. These were no ordinary cavities, mind you. I was able to fit the tip of my pinkie finger inside some of them. Also, the holes weren't all gunky and soft like decayed tooth structure normally appears. On the contrary, my cavities were well defined, giving my teeth a sort of swiss-cheese appearance. I remember two things really concerning me:

1. I knew it would take a very large amount of composite filling material to fix my smile- at least 20 cartridges per tooth. I was worried about the amount of polymerization shrinkage and the associated post-op sensitivity and risk for fracture. (That's right, I'm even a nerd in my own dreams).

2. I was worried about what would happen a few months from now when I show up as the new dentist in town with holes all through my teeth. Way to make a good first impression, Doctor.

Needless to say, I was relieved when I woke up to find I had my normal-sized healthy teeth back. I'd like to hear if any of the Dental Ninja readers have ever had a bizarre tooth-related dream. If so, please leave a comment.

Happy "Pet Dental Health Month"

2009-02-01T13:08:00.000-08:00

That's right, in addition to black history month, February is dedicated to increasing awareness of pet dental health. (Doing some quick research I discovered there are over 10 things for which February is known, and found it ironic that this website claims it is both "Children's Dental Health Month" and "National Snack Food Month." Nice.)

Here are some quick "Pet Dental Health" fun facts:

Over 85% of dogs and cats over 4 years old have periodontal concerns.
You should brush your pets teeth daily, but not with people toothpaste. Ask your veterinarian for special animal toothpaste.
Plaque will first show up as yellow or brown staining where the teeth meet the gums. If you notice this, it's time for a visit to the vet.
If you notice this in your own mouth, definitely go see the dentist - but please see someone other than me.
Hard food in your pet's diet can help remove plaque, but is no replacement for regular brushing.
In most animals, flossing is not necessary because of the open spaces between the teeth.
Sharks actually have "wimpy" bites, and are only dangerous because their teeth are so sharp. More on that here.

More resources:
Dental Health Should be a High Priority for your Pet
Periodontal Disease in Pets
FAQ about Toothbrushing and Cleanings in Dogs and Cats
Your local veterinarian

Lastly, here's a couple of doggie dental stories I found amusing:

1. This account of a British dog who spent the day with his teeth glued together from biting into a fast-food menu that came with the mail. The dog, who had been trained to retrieve the mail, apparently couldn't open his mouth, which necessitated a trip to the vet.

2. This blog-post about "MacKenzie Boy," a Boston Terrier located in the state of Washington, who in 1938 was given a full set of dentures. He is believed to be the first dog to ever wear dentures. The little snippet of an aritcle shows the dog being fitted for the dentures, but doesn't go into a lot of detail. Call me a skeptic, but I have my doubts as to whether the dog was indeed able to succesfully masticate using the prostheses. It's hard enough to get people accustomed to new dentures, working with a dog would seem downright impossible!

Iran's 5200-year-old Dirtly Little Secret

2009-01-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

An 12-year excavation project concluded last week, uncovering the mysteries of Iran's "Burnt City." Of particular interest to the Dental Ninja is the discovery of rampant PARAFUNCTION among inhabitants of the Burnt City.

For you anti-dentites, "function" refers to the use of teeth for the purposes for which teeth were intended (i.e. chewing, speaking, smiling, and let's not forget scaring your enemies). "Parafunction" refers to the use of teeth for anything else, such as biting through fishing line or fingernails, opening a package, or holding your wife while flying high above the ground swinging from a trapeze.

Parafunction

Anthropologists discovered various wear patterns in the dentition of the Burnt City inhabitants which lead them to conclude that the mouth was regarded as a "fifth hand."

The Tehran Times explains that teeth were helpful for "weaving wicker, nets and textiles, and in creating artwork with ornamental stones."

What the article won't tell you, however, is something the archeologists don't know: the cause of the Burnt City's downfall. Let us consider a society where all the artists and textile workers spend their lives using their teeth as hands. My theory is that competition drove them to work harder and harder, eventually wearing grooves and holes all through the enamel into the dentin and approximating the pulp, causing EXTREME sensitivity. Eventually there was a breaking point, and half of the city went INSANE from the DENTAL PAIN. (Wow, that sounds like a song title - watch for it on my next album). From this point on, the city imploded on itself. All order was lost and chaos prevailed. My friends, this was indeed a grim demise. Had the ancient inhabitants left us a record, I'm convinced they would have warned us of the dangers of parafunction.

Gum Control in Mexico

2009-01-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

4 out of 5 dentists may recommend chewing gum to reduce cavities, but one Mexican director for conservation of public spaces recommends swallowing that gum when you're done. On the other hand, one pediatrician warns that doing so could cause an intestinal blockage. What do I do?!?

The controversy centers around a sticky statistic: in Mexico City, the city-wide average for number of discarded gum blobs per square yard of sidewalk is 70.

This article from Yahoo News, which is a pretty interesting read, outlines the problem and a few possible solutions, ranging from expensive sidewalk steam cleaners to organic gum that supposedly breaks down much more quickly than regular gum. The large-scale city clean-up is set to begin next week.

The Dental Ninja's solution? Just throw your gum in the garbage like a normal person.

A dedicated actress

2009-01-21T21:56:00.000-08:00

If you happen to watch NBC's "The Last Templar" premiering next Sunday, here's something to watch for: a very painful passionate kiss.

That's because actress Mira Sorvino suffered a dental injury during filming in Morocco. She reportedly broke 5 teeth! Details are sketchy, but this article states that "a big wave crashed over her during a boat scene, and it washed out her contacts. Then, she says a hook got caught, and it slammed into her face, breaking five of her teeth."

In true "the show must go on" fashion, production continued with a passionate kissing scene. Ouch.

Bullet-stopping dentures

2009-01-17T11:39:00.000-08:00

That's right, I bet you never thought these....

would be albe to stop this:

This story happened last October in Croatia, where Stipe and Mirna Cavlovic were caught up in the middle of a disagreement between two men involving money. (The article, found here, doesn't really go into detail on how or why the couple were involved, or what caliber of weapon was used).

One thing led to another and eventually one of the men pulled a gun and fired point blank. The bullet grazed Mirna's cheekbone and slammed into Stipe's mouth where it came to rest in his dentures! Stipe said of the incident:

I thought I was dead for sure. I didn't even see the bullet hit my wife. I just saw the flash of the gun's barrel.

The next thing I knew was something hit my false tooth and I spat out the hot lead. It hurt like hell but we're both still alive.

Ballistic experts attribute Stipe's survival to the bullet having lost so much speed by grazing Mirna's cheekbone. The would-be killer fled the scene but was later arrested.

"Ninja" in the news...

2009-01-14T23:19:00.000-08:00

This story has been all over the news, but in case you missed it, a Florida man recently failed to steal two ATM's and was seen on security camera footage dressed as a ninja. Authorities have dubbed him "the Ninja Bandit," which is unfortunate because he is quite obviously not a ninja. How do I know? Other than being a ninja myself, there are some dead giveaways:

He was seen by the cameras.
He is clearly out of shape.
He failed his objectives.

Had he been a true ninja, the headlines would have read, "Two ATM's mysteriously disappear overnight - Police have no leads"

No, my friends, this was not at all the work of a ninja. This was the work of a pirate, either trying to damage the reputation of ninjas, or dressing up in the middle of the night to secretly satisfy his inner ninja. How do I know he was a pirate? Three good reasons:

He was seen by the cameras.
He is clearly out of shape.
He failed his objectives.

Had there been audio of the security footage, I'm convinced we would have heard phrases like "yarr!" and "aye, surrender the booty ye metal devil clobberhead!"

For the Love of Teeth!

2009-01-10T15:39:00.001-08:00

Every once in a while I come across a story too bizarre to not share. This is one of them.

Hannibal Helmerto is a man who left his normal life as a German tax inspector to join the circus as a sword swallower (really). He surgically modified his tongue so he looks like a snake, which, I might point out, is a great career move for anyone. Somewhere along the way he met and married a lovely lady and they settled down in London. Unfortunately, Hannibal and his wife recently started having marital troubles and got divorced.

In preparation for the divorce settlement, Hannibal took some extreme measures to keep his most prized possession - a 40,000 year old piece of mammoth ivory. He removed two of his own teeth and implanted the ivory in their place. Hannibal Claims: "I could bear to lose everything but my ivory. She can't take my body away from me and nobody can pull my teeth out. It's part of me now and there's nothing she can do about it."

This article, which can be found in its entirety here, leaves me with a few questions.

#1 - Did he do the procedure himself of did a dentist do it? This is really lose-lose. If he did it, he had no idea what he was doing and it will soon fall out anyway. If a dentist did it - I'd have to question the ethics of that dentist. The only way I would ever perform a similar procedure is if the patient's teeth were diseased and he needed dental implants anyway, but even then I would have to do some research on the procedure and the likely outcome. (40,000 year old mammoth implants isn't something they cover in dental school).

#2 - Would that plan even work? I'm not sure how much credit to give this guy. On the one hand, he's German (+1 smart point) and worked as a tax inspector (+1 smart point). On the other hand, he joined the circus (-1 smart point), he forked his tongue (-1 smart point) and he implanted his FREAKING mammoth ivory in his mouth!!! (-5 smart points).

I recently spoke with a judge here in the states, to whom I happen to be related, to get his take on the case. Although he was unfamiliar with British law, if he were presiding over a similar settlement in his state, the value of the ivory would count against the assets that Hannibal took from the marriage - so yes, he could keep it, but it's not like he's really coming out ahead when everything is divided up.

I'll try to keep you posted with any follow up stories on this case.

Stewie's Teeth

2009-01-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

Elephants enjoy a nice "Christmas Treet"

2009-01-03T22:25:00.001-08:00

Nature is full of examples of thinking "win-win" with mutualistic symbiotic relationships, such as that of the rhinoceros and the tickbird (also known as an oxpecker, hehehe) or the realtionship between sea anenomes and clown fish. Some of these relationships involve teeth - think of the crocodile and the little bird known as a "plover."

This week I discovered yet another one of natures beautiful mutualistic symbiotic relationships: the Elephant and the post-holiday German family. German zookeepers have a program that helps families dispose of their Christmas trees and at the same time gives the local elephants a special holiday treat. According to the zookeepers, the pine trees are not only a delicacy, but they help clean the elephants' teeth. Each elephant eats up to three Christmas trees per day. A few photos and descriptions can be found at the China Daily.

Pop quiz: How many sets of teeth does an elephant have during its lifetime? The answer can be found after this picture I took during my trip to the zoo last summer.

If you guessed six, step forward and claim your prize! Humans, like most mammals, are diphyodont, meaning we have two sets of teeth. Elephants are unique among mammals. Although they have only one set of tusks, the four large molars used for grinding plants are continually worn down and replaced up to six times throughout the elephant's life. In full-grown elephants, each molar can weigh as much as 9 lbs! Gadzooks! If you had any ambitions to do elephant dentistry, you'd better get some bigger burs. Here I am posing with one of the giant molars. Notice the many roots:

Next time an endo procedure isn't going so well, just remind yourself it could be worse.

Dentist with a Sense of Humor

2008-12-21T14:07:00.001-08:00

I found this little gem at adsoftheworld.com. I think most patients can appreciate the humor of Dr. Dunec located in Toronto, Canada.

"DJ Talent" taking some desperate measures

2008-12-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

Last week I read a few articles about a man named Anthony Ghosh, aka "DJ Talent." Three years ago he invested £7,000 to have gold crowns placed on all 28 teeth. According to Ghosh, this was to improve his image as well as his career. Now, due to the poor economy, he is considering selling the gold and switching to porcelain.

I found the idea a little confusing. At my dental school gold and porcelain crowns cost roughly the same, and the value of the gold is about 1/4 the cost of the procedure (at most), so switching a gold crown to porcelain wouldn't save you any money - despite the increased value in gold over the past three years. Ghosh reportedly is asking £14,000 for his old crowns.

In an attempt to clear up my confusion, I contacted "DJ Talent" via his myspace page and got permission to ask a few questions for my blog. Here is our interview:

Dental Ninja - Have you looked into how much it will cost to replace all of the gold crowns with porcelain and how much money you would save?

DJ Talent - To sell my gold teeth it would cost £14,000. So I will save £4,000 . On the sale of my gold teeth.

DN - You originally got the gold crowns to help your image and career, do you feel this was a success? Do you regret your decision?

DJT - Having gold crowns has made me famous and unique and got my name out there in the bbc news and on radio and in the sun newspapers. So I am pleased with the teeth making me a natioanal star no regrest.

DN - Reports have mentioned you were the victim of several mugging attempts because of your teeth. Was your safety at all a factor in deciding to switch to porcelain?

DJT - I haven't switched to porcelain yet. If my music and filming takes off next year I will keep my gold teeth. I have been offered porcelain teeth by tv companies and they want to do a documentary but I am not sure if I want porcelain yet. My life has changed being a high profiled dj with gold teeth. I need to lead a low profile now and I can't go to public busy places. The gold teeth have brought me alot of success and recignition.

DN - Have you considered getting a removable "grill" to keep up the image?

DJT - I haven't thought about removable grills but I am interested in other dental solutions and ideas.

DN - I read that you spent £7000, but you're hoping to sell them for £14,000. Is that because of the increase of gold prices or your celebrity status?

DJT - Because gold has gone up my celebrity status has grown and the teeth has made me become a unique national star.

For more info on DJ Talent or to hear some of his music, visit his myspace page.

Heidi Klum's Teeth

2008-12-14T01:24:00.001-08:00

Recently Heidi Klum was a guest on The Tonight Show where she revealed an interesting quirk: she still has all her baby teeth. Look closely. Can you tell?

Ok, so she still has all her baby teeth, but not in her mouth. She keeps them in a little baggy that she carries around for good luck. Watch the full interview below. They discuss her teeth beginning at about the 4 minute mark.

Weird.

Saved by the skin of his teeth!

2008-12-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

Here's another good reason to floss - it could save your life. A couple weeks ago a 62 year old was ice skating on the Mississippi River when he fell in. He spent about an hour in the water before some local help, including his own son, were able to retrieve him - but it wasn't easy. The man disappeared under water so the son dove in and kept him afloat while the rescue team worked the rope towards him. The problem was that after an hour in the icy water, his hands no longer functioned, so his son suggested he bite on the rope while they tow him to safety. It worked, the man survived, and today he has his healthy dentition (as well as his son and the local law enforcement) to thank for it.

Full story here.

Teeth Injured in Failed Escape Attempt

2008-12-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

What if I told you that a three-year-old broke off all four of his canines and ground three incisors to stumps while attempting to gnaw his way out of a cage? You'd probably be pretty angry, right? Well what if I told you the three year old looked like this:

You'd probably be a little more at ease. Here's the story of a father and son dental duo who recently performed 4 root canals and 3 extractions to heal the feline (who happens to be a Mexican Jaguar) of his self-inflicted dental dilemma. It took a total of 6 doctors, plus a rifleman (just in case) to complete the work.

This story leaves me with two questions:

How big were the endo files used in the root canals?
Where do I get a rifleman?

It could be worse

2008-11-18T21:05:00.000-08:00

There's a book up for auction this week. It was written in 1770 by Thomas Berdmore. Never heard of him? He was the dentist to King George III. This is likely the first ever English textbook on dentistry. Personally, I find Berdmore's insights to be priceless! Here's a few gems, from this article:

He writes of a 23-year-old woman left in a “terrible state” by a “barber dentist”.

“She went to a barber dentist to have the leftmolaris tooth of the upper jaw on the right side taken out,” he says.

“On second attempt he brought away the affected tooth together with a piece of jawbone as big as a walnut and three neighbouring molars.”

He says the “barber dentist” embarked on the ill-fated extraction because he was “uneasy at disappointment”.

Ha ha! I would also consider myself "uneasy at disappointment" but I'd like to think I'll stop before ripping out half of your maxilla!

Berdmore also possessed a rudimentary understanding of orthodontics, instructing fellow dentists (and barber-dentists) to "Pass gold wire from the neighbouring teeth on either side in such a manner as to press upon what stands out of the line." Either that, or you could try to “break the teeth into order by means of a strong pair of crooked pliers”.

He also observed that sugar and smoking were harmful, and that for this reason peasants suffered less dental disease than their noble counterparts.

Anyway, I just wanted to pass this along as a reminder that dentistry has come a long way and you really don't have a lot to be afraid of (relatively speaking).

Cowboy, Ninja, Bear

2008-11-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

Something's been on my mind the last couple of days. Amidst all the political change we've just experienced and in a week when I've had 4 mock board exams (and one more tomorrow) as well as a couple big school events in the evenings, you'd wouldn't expect me to be thinking about this - but I think Hemingway* said it best when he penned the words, "Eventually, everyone needs to write about ninjas." For me, this time is now.

You see, anyone who knows me well is probably aware of the fact that I'm obsessed with ninjas. The seeds were planted in my childhood when, like every other boy at the time, I was a huge TMNT fan. Years and years later as I was enjoying my last real summer (the one right before dental school) my roommates and I invested in some ninja suits and spent several evenings at the secret ninja training grounds perfecting our art.

Today I read about a promising children's book that is supposed to promote equality and diversity. As I recently discussed, there are good ways and there are bad ways to go about teaching diversity. This book, called "Ninja, Cowboy, Bear" seems like a good way. In addition to celebrating the differences between the three creatures, it teaches a new game - basically paper-rock-scissors but more intense. (If you've ever wanted to play paper-rock-scissors online, click here - hours of fun).

However, there is one key flaw in the game, and subsequently the book. See if you pick up on it:

Did you catch the mistake? Go check again if you missed it. Here it is - somebody accidentally wrote "Bear beats Ninja" - can you believe it? Don't they have editors there?

I mean lets think about it for a second. Ninjas can beat cowboys - Ok, I don't think anyone can argue this one. The only possible exception might be John Wayne vs. a half of a ninja and only in the daytime.

Cowboy vs. Bear? I think this one could go either way. It probably depends on the conditions, weapons, age of cowboy, etc. Incidentally, if you ever find yourself in the position of the cowboy facing a real bear and you happen to have access to the internet and need advice, click here.

Ninja vs. Bear. We shouldn't even be talking about this. First of all, how is a bear ever going to find the ninja? Can you find the ninjas?

Keep trying. So far I've only found 2 ninjas and what might be a ninja's foot. How is a bear supposed to find them? The only way a ninja and bear would ever square off is if the ninja wanted it to happen, and in that case he would stealthily make his kill and hide the carcass so nobody would ever know about it.

Lastly, I want to share a news story my brother shared with me last year. It's from the Onion News Network, which is a lot like CNN or MSNBC but they do a lot more fact-checking so their stories are more reliable.** This story takes place in Modesto, CA, which (in case you forgot) is also home to the Nuts.

Ninja Parade Slips Through Town Unnoticed Once Again

*Not Earnest Hemingway, but my imaginary friend, Dussa Hemingway.
**That's not true.

Just look at those teeth......

2008-10-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

I know I've just been posting videos lately, but this one is just too funny and it only takes a minute.

LLUSD skits and videos

2008-10-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the annual pine springs ranch retreat. The highlight of the weekend is always the skit competition, which we take pretty seriously. Last year, my class totally blew away the competition with this parody of the hit TV show "The Office".

This year my classmates produced the sequel, but the other classes upped their game and we ended up taking third place. Here's our entry: (I'm in the bottom right corner of the screen from 6:35-6:38)

Note: Both this year and last year's office skits can be found in higher quality at Funnytooth.com.

Here's the second place entry from the D2 class. If you've never seen the Blue Oyster Cult SNL skit ("I gotta have move cowbell!"), watch it here first. Then you'll better appreciate this:

In first place was the D3 class with their version of Top Gun. Pretty freakin' hilarious:

New hope for dental anxiety

2008-10-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

I just read this article about a device developed by a dentist in Cedar Falls. Basically, the patient puts in some headphones and listens to soothing sounds (beach, forest, etc.). The device they ever-so-cleverly dubbed the "b-Calm" is supposed to "blend the frequency of the dental drill with recordings of nature sounds." I dunno, do you think it's worth a try? Does the sound of the dental drill really bother any of you?

Another article I read a couple weeks ago claimed that the scent of lavender in the waiting room had a calming effect on patients waiting to receive dental care. Personally, I think if I spent my whole career smelling lavender and listening to soothing ocean noises I'd end up a bit fruity, but any current or future patients of mine are more than welcome to inhale their own lavender and listen to soothing sounds on their Ipods when I'm working.

Here's a picture of a guy who definitely had dental anxiety. It looks like he's in a ton of pain, right? Well I can assure you, he looked like that the second he knew he was going to get a shot, not when he felt the needle. I kept stopping and asking (in my very limited Spanish) if it hurt. He'd look at me and say no, it was fine, but then go back to gripping the seat and closing his eyes really tightly as though I was torturing him. Poor guy.

One way to keep patients in line

2008-09-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a story of a German dentist who decided to take matters into his own hands when his patient decided not to pay for her work. (This guy is what the locals would call "verrückt").
Basically, the lady's insurance wouldn't pay for two bridges and she decided it wasn't her obligation to pay for them. The Zahnartzt from Neu Ulm (I think I rode a train through there once) then breaks into her home, ties her to a chair, and reclaims the bridges.
From the article:

"The dentist is being investigated for assault for the way he forced open her mouth, and theft for taking the bridges," said Christian Owsinski a police spokesman.

Personally, I think the theft charges should be dropped. Think about it - he payed a lab fee to have the bridges made so if they belong to anybody then they are his, so this might be more of an OJ Simpson-forcefully-reclaiming-my-stuff type situation.

I do feel that he should lose his license. You simply can't perform a dental procedure (such as removing a bridge) against the patient's will. That's one of the least ethical things a dentist can do.

The creepiest part? According to the victim, he did all of this without even saying a word.

UPDATE: Court decision here. Dentist found guilty of assault and fined 6000 Euros. Patient too traumatized to wear dentures.

"The Clinic" - Loma Linda Office Spoof

2008-09-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

The season premiere of The Office is this Thursday night. I'm looking forward to it.

If you are also a fan, might I suggest checking out this sweet video, done entirely by classmates of mine (written by this guy). It was our entry for a skit competition at the annual dental student retreat. Needless to say it was a big hit.
Without further ado, the video:

Click here for the high quality version, or watch below for the quick and dirty version (with audio delay).

Follow up: Enjoy the sequel here!

Tooth Prices Dropping

2008-09-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

At least in the UK, that is. Their current economic crisis dubbed the "credit crunch" has forced the tooth fairy to become slightly more stingy then she was six months ago. This article states that the average price of a tooth has gone from £1.22 to 87p, with 38% of Brittish children receiving absolutely nothing! 1000 parents were surveyed to find out what the tooth fairly had left their children.

Why is this? My theory is that the Tooth Fairy foolishly got locked into an adjustable rate mortgage. Think about it - the tooth fairy is always all dolled up in her fairy clothes and waving around that fancy fairy wand. Her hair and makeup is always perfect. She's obviously concerned with what others think of her and to keep up appearances she splurged on a mini-mansion she really couldn't afford. What other explanation is there? Gas prices shouldn't matter - being a fairy, she has the ability to fly. The worldwide increase in food prices? She's six inches tall, how much can she eat? Silly pretentious fairy. Now British children have less money for their Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and Fizzing Whizbees.

The silver lining? This should encourage more Brits to keep their teeth! Zing!

"Laughing Gas" fun facts

2008-09-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

Here's some stuff you probably didn't know about the "laughing gas" you get from the dentist. I just finished taking my Nitrous Oxide competency exam and decided to pass along the more interesting trivia to you folks.

It was discovered in the late 1770's by Joseph Priestly. In 1779 Sir Humphrey Davey was the first human to inhale it and described it as "very pleasurable" and "euphoric." He was the one who coined the term laughing gas.
It wasn't originally used in a medical setting. From 1800-1844 it was mainly used at social gatherings and sideshows for entertainment.
In 1844 a dentist named Horace Wells was attending a demonstration. A peculiar incident happened involving a volunteer who inhaled the gas and began freaking out. (Not everybody reacts the same, and some people really don't like it.) Anyway, this guy started running around the room and gashed his leg open. Horace the dentist astutely observed that the man didn't even react to his wound - as though he didn't feel any pain. The next day Horace had his dentist buddy extracted his abscessed tooth using the gas. Horace felt no pain and proclaimed this to be "the greatest discovery ever made."
Originally the dentists had difficulty in delivering high concentrations of the gas due to the crude delivery systems available to them. What were these delivery systems? Ox bladders. (Don't click unless you really want to see an ox bladder.)
Wells, who is credited with the discovery of anesthesia, became addicted to the laughing gas and committed suicide at age 33.
The exact mechanism of nitrous oxide is still unknown.

So there you have it. Personally, I first had laughing gas when I was 17 and absolutely loved it. I told my dentist that if I had known how great it felt, I would have stopped brushing long ago! I also distinctly remember the feeling of having the dental room rotate around me while I was getting my wisdom teeth extracted. The song on the radio was "When I fall in love" and I remember the experience every time I hear that song.

Let me know your thoughts or any funny stories involving laughing gas. Maybe next year I'll give away a free nitrous oxide treatment to the person with the best story. Maybe.

Tales from the clinic floor

2008-08-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

Today was rough. Next time you have a dental appointment and maybe you're not really looking forward to it, just think to yourself, "at least it's not an 8-hour appointment."

That's right, today's patient drives from far away so to keep his trips back and forth to a minimum (insert token gas-prices complaint here) we decided it would be a good idea to book him for my morning and afternoon sessions. I prepped three teeth for crowns and tried (and failed) to have that be my bridge competency required for graduation. When attempting a competency, I do all the steps without help and then have two faculty members grade my work. Things kept going wrong and I seriously think I made about 20 temporary crowns before I had three that worked and I was happy with. Ugh.

Anyway, since I'm on the topic of dentistry, here's three amusing stories that happened to me lately:

Sidewalk
A couple weeks back I was getting ready to place a space-maintainer in the mouth of a really curious seven-year-old. He had been asking questions all along and I was happy to answer them, but he really threw me for a loop when he asked why I was going to put sidewalk in his mouth. Sidewalk? I was so confused - then I remembered that I had told him the next step was to "cement" the space maintainer onto his molar. It's funny how kids think sometimes.

Ipod
Recently we had mock-board exams and were required to find a patient had a specific type of cavity - a class II lesion if you were wondering. The week before the exam I was doing a pediatric rotation and came across a 13-year old with the perfect class II lesion. I convinced her and her mom to help me out but was a little concerned about whether the patient's attention span could last the whole 4-hour exam, so I told her I'd bring my video Ipod and she could watch stuff while I worked.
When exam time came I had her take a seat while I finished setting up and she started watching the Andy Milonakis Show and some stand-up comedy. The resulting scene was pretty funny - to appreciate it you have to picture the tense exam atmosphere with 100 dental chairs and hardly anybody talking. Except for a few dental drills whistling in the distance, everything is silent. Then you have this loud teenage girly giggling happening like clockwork every 20 seconds coming from cubicle 74. Soon people started turning their heads trying to figure out what was going on. All I could do was shrug my shoulders and say, "Hey, I'm that good."

What's that smell?
Working on a crown competency last week, I determined that I needed to do a minor electro-surgery on the patient's gums. To do this, there's a machine you plug in and have the patient hold a metal plate, and when the end of the handpiece makes contact with the tissue it completes the circuit and basically fries the tissue. (Keep in mind the patient is numb so it's really not that bad). After doing this for a minute I explained to the patient (who grew up in El Salvador) that I was using the high volume suction so that it didn't stink. Having already caught a whiff of his own crispy gums, he smiled and told me he thought it smelled like carne asada. I told him it sort of was.

Sorry this post was all words and no pictures! I never read posts like that. Here's a totally awesome picture to try to get you to read:

(click for the bigger, more awesome version)

Puffer fish underwent emergency dental procedure

2008-08-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

Crazy as it sounds, I'm not making this up. It happened in England. Here is the full story detailing how the fished damaged his dentition in a bout with a sting ray. It sounds like the fight busted off part of a tooth, which in and of itself would have been ok, except that puffer fish are like rats in that they need to constantly be gnawing to keep their teeth worn down. After the fight the lazy puffer fish did all his gnawing on the side with the broken tooth, allowing his other tooth to grow to the point that it started damaging his lip.

Crazy.

After the procedure the fish was relocated to Germany - I'd like to think that it was part of some sort of fish witness protection program to keep him safe from the sting rays.

Baby Epiglottis

2008-08-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how babies can drink and breath at the same time? Think about it - you can't drink and breath at the same time (try it if you don't believe me), and nursing babies don't come up for air once they "latch on".

I was studying this very concept for my board exams just over a year ago, at the same time my son was just a wee infant. The answer lies in the epiglottis. Here is an illustration of the epiglottis of an infant:
The key difference is that the shape of the baby's throat allows the epiglottis (the green shaded area) to come into contact with the soft palate (yellow), thus allowing air (shown in light blue) to enter the trachea, while milk (shown in pink) can flow around on either side.

I was recently reminded of this concept during our summer break at my parent's house when Jordan was drinking from a sippy cup and started coughing. I looked at him and asked if he got some down the wrong pipe and then realized that this had never happened to him before. I realized my little boy is growing up - his epiglottis is no longer touching his soft palate when he drinks! He'll just have to alternate between drinking and breathing just like the rest of us now. I think this is a milestone in toddlers lives that most parents are unaware of.

Ants

2008-07-31T18:27:00.000-07:00

I had ants crawling on my ears today. I have no idea how this happened. Around 9:00 this moring I'm sitting there doing dentistry and feel one crawling on my ear. I took off my glove and brushed it away, only to have the same thing happen 10 minutes later. Then around 3:00 this afternoon it happened again! I was in the middle of polishing up a filling I had just placed and really didn't want to take time out of the procedure to take off my gloves, brush the ant away, and re-glove; and I definitely didn't want to touch my own ear with slobbery gloves, (gross!) so I just kept working while the little bugger crawled around for two minutes and bit me three times. I don't think I've ever been so angry at a single ant in my entire life. Maybe someday when I'm working in my own office and have an assistant, I can simply call out "Ant" and she can brush it off of my ear. Someday.

"It's better to lose a tooth than to lose your life"

2008-07-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

That's the quote from the brave 11-year-old Brazilian boy who recently fended off a pit bull attack by sinking his teeth into the dog's neck! How's this for irony - he broke his canine when he sank his teeth into the neck of a canine! Ha! He needed 4 stitches in his arm, and the article says he was freed when bystanders pulled the dog off of him, but I think it was actually the dog who was freed from the vicious boy. Talk about fighting fire with fire!

Busting a myth that's been bugging me

2008-07-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

Maybe you've heard this before, maybe not, but the myth I'm addressing is this: Dentists have the highest rate of suicide.

This has been brought to my attention a few times since becoming a dental student. It's usually somebody trying to make smalltalk, but many who've brought it up have done so in a way that led me to believe that they really think it's true.

So, I set out to do some investigating today. I had intentions of writing this post with well-referenced credible links but didn't actually find any official list. Upon typing dentists and suicide in the good old google, I found no references to support this claim, although I did learn quite a bit. Here's the summary of today's web surfing:

The topic is somewhat unclear because suicides usually aren't classified by profession. There is a plethora of data regarding race, age, and gender because those things show up on death certificates and can easily be compiled.
The rate for health care professionals as a whole is elevated.
A possible explanation of this is that health care professionals generally live healthier lifestyles and are less likely to die from other causes.
Another explanation could be the stress that comes with being a "professional".
Medical Doctors (MD's) have a higher rate of suicide than their Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) counterparts. Most sources credit white male physicians as having the highest suicide rate, although the females in the profession aren't far behind - which is unusual.
Psychiatrists also have a higher rate of suicide than dentists, although they have their own urban legend to deal with regarding their "highest suicide rate".
One study had sheepherders and wool workers topping the list.

So there you have it. Don't believe this when you hear it unless they have a source more credible than Benji's Blog©. If they do, please send it my way.

I guess this concludes my suicide note. Ha!

Another small plus to a career in dentistry

2008-04-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

I used to wonder what would happen if I had allergies while I was working as a dentist - after all, how would you feel if your dentist kept sneezing while working on you? Well, yesterday and today I had the chance to find out. Something's in the air down here and I've been sniffling and sneezing like crazy - except while I'm working on the clinic! Apparently the mask filters out all the pollen or whatever is aggravating my allergies so I have 100% relief while I'm working. How neat.

Whoops!

2008-04-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

Here's an article about an oral surgery center in NY that apparently forgot about one of their patients when they were locking up for the evening. The patient woke up from surgery and was all alone in the dark, which was probably a little disconcerting. I actually thought the story was sort of amusing because obviously she was ok, although she was terrified and threw up a couple of times.

Welcome.....

2008-04-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

I'm currently a fourth year dental student at the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in southern California. In college I majored in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Folklore and a minor in Chemistry. I'm a proud husband and father and expecting my second child in May, right about graduation time!

What this blog is:
The Dental Ninja blog is a collection of interesting/entertaining/amusing/funny news items involving the field of dentistry, as well as the occasional ninja post. If you are at all involved in the field of dentistry, this blog is for you. Enjoy!

What this blog is not:
The Dental Ninja blog is not another site that reviews various dental products or discusses things I learned at the latest continuing education course. (I'd like to think that if a "normal person" stumbles onto this blog they don't run away for fear of boredom).

History
The blog wasn't actually created until December of 2008. Any entries with an earlier date have been retroactively re-posted from my personal blog (except for this one, which I'm typing right now). That's why there aren't any comments on most of the early content - not because I'm a big loser with no friends, although that is also true.

I wanted to better cater to my dentally-minded readers without boring the anti-dentites who personally know me.

Why Ninjas?
There are, literally, billions of things that dentists and ninjas have in common. Masks, for example. If you really think about it, it all makes perfect sense. A better question would by why aren't there ninjas on everyone else's websites? (Or are there?)