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chiquita_bandita · Sep 12, 2007, 10:21 PM

Just curious, why are dentists so secretive about/unwilling to show you your own teeth that they pull? I ask because I had 4 wisdom teeth pulled by 3 different dentists at 4 different times and they all had excuses or reasons I couldn't even look at my own tooth. Reasons given: We already disposed of it (uh, where? I've been here the whole time)... It's a biohazard... We're not supposed to do that...

What's the deal? And also, what do they really do with the teeth, do they sell them to dental colleges or something?

Very curious. Thanks for reading.

cpalmist · Sep 12, 2007, 10:40 PM

Healthy teeth come out with a fair amount of gum tissue clinging to them - kind of like looking at a chicken leg at an eatin' contest - ragged lookin' thing it will be and it'll have some blood and blood clots on it as well.
Now even under anethesia, getting a tooth pulled is a wounding and can make folks a litlle shaky from either the trauma or the nervous tension associated with the process so pulling out a bloody clotted with chunks of you on it could be a little too much for you at the moment. So rather than have you fainting/puking/taking a vapor, just better to wrap it up and put it out of site. Much like you ladies do with your tampons and the like.

Now, that's for the purty healthy teeth. Some teeth will split when being pulled or break off one or more roots or be a nasty shade of black/green/purple depending on how badly the tooth and the surrounding gum tissue at the time of the extraction. And it won't smell so good - most of the time, at best, it will smell like you just stirred up the bottom of a still lake or pond and at worst, well, that's another good reason the dentist uses suction when he is working on your mouth...

So there you go. It's to pertect your more genteel feelings and appreciations of your dental well-being.

And thank Goodness for that!!

Please rate if helpful.

Capuchin · Sep 12, 2007, 11:57 PM

When I got 2 of my teeth pulled, my dentist showed me them willingly. They're big ole things, amazing how deep rooted they are.

Clough · Sep 13, 2007, 02:03 AM

What's the deal? And also, what do they really do with the teeth, do they sell them to dental colleges or something?

They just might.

I do agree with cpalmist's very fine answer above! I would just like to add the following.

I know that when a friend of mine had an abscessed tooth pulled, the dentist refused to show it to him.

I don't know, but I would suspect that they might be trying to avoid people freaking out when they see how large (and maybe gross looking) the entire tooth and root might be that they have just had extracted. They might be being taught to do this as a safety precaution in general. Maybe something happened some time ago to a patient who was shown a tooth or teeth that were extracted that caused some kind of problem for the patient that then lead to other problems.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

curlybenswife · Sep 13, 2007, 02:11 AM

I saw my wisdom teeth when they pulled them back in January I was curious as they were sending them for examination they let me look at the pots they were sat in. Admittedly they had big blobs of stuff on the bottom witch turnt out to be dead abscess it was pretty yucky.
Guess it just depends who what and how at the time of pulling.
As a child I always kept all my teeth that were pulled how else was the tooth fairy going to give me my money.

Clough · Sep 13, 2007, 02:32 AM

As a child I always kept all my teeth that were pulled how else was the tooth fairy going to give me my money.

This is so true! I always loved the tooth fairy! I wonder if the belief in such a being is universal to all countries?

Clough · Sep 13, 2007, 02:32 AM

Also, I got a nickel per tooth. I am wondering how much you got?

curlybenswife · Sep 13, 2007, 02:34 AM

Ha I was spoilt and not forgetting I'm english ;) I got an average of 50p to a pound depending on the size of the tooth and how much change my dad had in his pocket tee hee.

Clough · Sep 13, 2007, 02:37 AM

Well, I can see that we've come a long way since I was young, baby! (I hope that you get the pun.) It is based on a cigarette ad for women in the U.S. about twenty or so years ago.

curlybenswife · Sep 13, 2007, 02:40 AM

Hehehehehehe its OK I understand you're an old man ;) but then saying that I'm not exactly a spring chicken any more either but I'm sure being a gentleman you wouldn't ask my age.
I can't wait for the tooth fairy to come to our house again for Millie it will be fun.

Clough · Sep 13, 2007, 02:43 AM

Well, I'm not exactly an old man. Not just yet. But, I guess you might call me middle aged now. I still feel very young, though!

curlybenswife · Sep 13, 2007, 02:49 AM

Originally Posted by Clough

Well, I'm not exactly an old man. Not just yet. But, I guess you might call me middle aged now. I still feel very young, though!

Hehehehehe you sound like ben I have to remind him he is a lot closer to 40 than I am and says yes but I still feel 21 heaven help me when he is 50.

chiquita_bandita · Sep 13, 2007, 05:59 AM

Thanks for the comments, guys. Since teeth are the only thing I've had removed from me by a Dr, I hadn't really thought... do surgeons refuse to show "stuff" they remove as well? Also, nice to see I'm not the only person who wants to see their pulled teeth, thought maybe I was weird!

curlybenswife · Sep 13, 2007, 06:00 AM

Originally Posted by chiquita_bandita

Thanks for the comments, guys. Since teeth are the only thing I've had removed from me by a Dr, I hadn't really thought.....do surgeons refuse to show "stuff" they remove as well? Also, nice to see I'm not the only person who wants to see their pulled teeth, thought maybe I was weird!!

You aren't weird heck we all get curious :D Im not sure id want to see anything a surgeon removed though that's would be all goey and red hehehehehe

KISS · Sep 13, 2007, 06:52 AM

Hey.I some bicuspids surgically removed in a hospital was I was about 10. I asked the doc for them and he said soak them in bleach to preserve them. I go them in a little envelope with the nerves still attached. At that age, I drilled a small hole into one of them and put it on a chain around my neck. I probably still have them.

Many times there is nothing left of the tooth. It doesn't come out whole, but the bicuspids were cool. They had like 13mm roots.

flossie · Sep 13, 2007, 05:46 PM

I don't know of a dentist who won't show a patient a tooth that was removed. True, it's sometimes not a pretty site. It's usually to reassure a patient that the whole tooth came out and a root tip or tips weren't left behind.

Extracted teeth are disposed of in the biohazard container, they are NOT sold to dental schools! The schools can get enough of their own.

I kept my wisdom teeth in a small gold gift box for over 25 yrs. I had to get rid of them when my husband got grossed out once he found them. I've seen some that have been dipped in gold and made into ear rings or pendants.

pekrwud · May 16, 2012, 09:15 PM

Why don't ANY dentists answer this question? I was able to keep my wisdom teeth. I didn't freak out and was able to see why cartoons show a tooth with roots after being pulled. So what do dentists do with the teeth they pull? No one here has answered that.
And for the clueless people talking about "tooth fairies." You're referring to "baby teeth." Teeth that come out with no roots. Genetically evolved to fall out after adolescent usage, to allow adult teeth to take their place.

A Random Phrase · Jun 19, 2012, 08:58 PM

I had 7 teeth pulled this morning and I took all of them home. Did they look gross and yucky? Absolutely. The dentist's assistant said that they usually ask the patients/clients if they want to take their teeth home with them. Most say, "yes," but a few are too grossed out and say, "no."

BareTeeth · Oct 17, 2013, 07:55 PM

I'm a dentist. Sometimes the assistants start to clean up as procedures are going on, so it is possible that the teeth are already whisked away to sterilization with other instruments quickly.

I don't mind showing people their teeth, but I work in a hospital that regulates things, so we aren't allowed to give them to the patients - they go into biohazard trash. Sometimes we'll sterilize them and try out new instruments on them (I'm a year out of school and want to try out different root canal systems, so we use extracted teeth for that).

We even have to tell little kids that we know the tooth fairy and will tell her about the lost tooth since we can't give it to them for under their pillow!

I think there are companies that get teeth to sell to students taking licensure examinations, but I have never heard of any dentist supplying them, so I really don't know how they work.

Hope this helped!