What kind of music do kids with braces listen to? Heavy Metal.

What does an orthodontist do during an earthquake? She braces herself.

(GIF via /r/Damnthatsinteresting) Read the rest

Who needs anesthesia when you have a sharp rock and some naturally-occurring asphalt to fill a cavity? Archaeologists found evidence of Paleolithic dentistry. Read the rest

National Geographic explores the ancient history of grillz. Coming in the sequel, meet the Incas who wore sundials around their necks.

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Blooms are sculptures that animate when a camera captures them in motion at a certain frame rate—a common accidental example is the illusion of car hubcaps spinning "backwards" on video. John Edmark's designs embody the mesmerizing precision of objects one would assume were computer-generated if we didn't know better: reality itself seeming to simulate our simulation.

Unlike a 3D zoetrope, which animates a sequence of small changes to objects, a bloom animates as a single self-contained sculpture. The bloom’s animation effect is achieved by progressive rotations of the golden ratio, phi (ϕ), the same ratio that nature employs to generate the spiral patterns we see in pinecones and sunflowers. The rotational speed and strobe rate of the bloom are synchronized so that one flash occurs every time the bloom turns 137.5º (the angular version of phi).* Each bloom’s particular form and behavior is determined by a unique parametric seed I call a phi-nome (/fī nōm/). -John Edmark

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It appears to be a prop from the show Channel Zero, but I'm going to be spreading it virally with a caption about the plight of children born with supracutaneous dentata. Read the rest

Evidently someone at Syfy is just as fond as I am of googling images [WARNING: POSSIBLY GROSS] for hyperdontia, in which subjects grow lots of supernumerary teeth; "The Tooth Child is Hungry" is an episode of Max Landis's series Channel Zero: it features a kind of dental onesie that I wish I could wear every day.

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It's not entirely clear where this image originates from, but the nightmarish interior of the Leatherback Turtle's mouth is attested to by many other ones just like it. Hey, at least it doesn't pee through its mouth.

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People are more likely to experience complications caused by having their wisdom teeth pulled than they are from keeping them in their head, according to several studies cited in this Fusion article by Rob Wile.

Indeed, Britain’s National Health Service now advises the following on wisdom teeth removal:

Your wisdom teeth don’t usually need to be removed if they’re impacted but aren’t causing any problems. This is because there’s no proven benefit of doing this and it carries the risk of complications.

Even if they’re impacted!

Arrested for drugs, Lashon Stuckey, 33, chewed his way through a car seat belt so he could spend time with his son, who was celebrating his birthday. Stuckey was apprehended before he could be reunited with his son. Read the rest

Back in 2011, I posted that one of John Lennon's teeth was up for auction. Canadian dentist Michael Zuk bought the molar for approximately $34,000 and says he would eventually like to use it to clone Lennon and raise him as his own son.

"He would still be his exact duplicate but you know, hopefully keep him away from drugs and cigarettes, that kind of thing," Zuk said.

Zuk has all kinds of other plans involving the tooth, including a DNA pendant, fine art photos, a documentary film, charity fundraising... It goes on and on over at JohnLennonTooth.com.

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Rhian Jeremiah, 26 of Cardigan, Wales caused $360 worth of damage to a Fiat 500 when she bit into the roof during an argument with the driver. Jeremiah had allegedly gotten drunk at a memorial for her boyfriend before the incident occurred. "There was a bit of an argument and she sunk her teeth into the part of the car above the window," the car's owner Selina Day said in court. "I could hear metal crunching." According to the BBC News though, Jeremiah's defense attorney argued that the situation was "'not quite like' the scene involving the character Jaws in a James Bond film." Read the rest

The Pogues' Shane MacGowan is seeking a dentist to fix his famously bad teeth. In exchange, he has offered to appear in advertising for the dentist. "Shane is keen to find a dentist, so he can start in Hollywood film," MacGowan's girlfriend, Victoria Mary Clarke, posted to Twitter. MacGowan had dentures but apparently prefers not to wear them. (NME) Read the rest