Dentaltown March 2013 - (Page 22)

professional courtesy column » I’m No Anti-Dentite by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine Let’s face it; dentistry is rarely depicted in a positive light through music, movies and television. We have been subjected to multiple viewings of Steve Martin’s depiction of Dr. Orin Scrivello in the 1986 film version of Little Shop of Horrors. No doubt, you are tired of hearing about Frontline’s joint investigation with The Center for Public Integrity titled Dollars and Dentists. This month I set out to aggregate a list of dental depictions in music, movies and television. I hope you enjoy this list: Music Owl City – “Dental Care”: This pop song is guaranteed to generate a chuckle or two. Here is a sample verse: “Have a seat,” he says pleasantly as he shakes my hand and practically laughs at me. “Open up nice and wide,” he says peering in and with a smirk he says, “Don’t have a fit. This'll just pinch a bit,” as he tries not to grin. Psychostick – “The Root of All Evil”: If you are looking for something with more of an edge, check out this speed metal/punk track that you will not want to play in your reception area. Galahad – “Dentist Song”: The vibe in this song reminds me of The Pet Shop Boys. The lyrics are quite specific; this is part of the refrain: “I’m drowning in the daylight. I’m staring at the ceiling…” Weird Al Yankovic – “Cavity Search”: If you are interested in pure parody then you should look no further than Weird Al. This is a parody of the U2 song “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” and Yankovic’s twisted rewrite is “Numb Me, Drill Me, Floss Me, Bill Me.” Movies Cactus Flower (1969): This classic comedy stars Walter Matthau as a dentist who pretends to be married so he can avoid commitment. When he finally finds a girl that he wants to marry, played by a young Goldie Hawn, he must recruit his receptionist to pose as his wife. This is a great movie. Marathon Man (1976): If you missed this famous dental scene, drop everything and find it. A teaser: Laurence Olivier vs. Dustin Hoffman, “Is it safe?” Need I say more? The Dentist (1996): Corbin Bernsen, best known as attorney Arnie Becker on LA Law, plays a dentist named 22 MARCH 2013 » dentaltown.com Dr. Alan Feinstone who discovers his wife is having an affair with the pool boy. Needless to say, he snaps and takes it out on his patients. Save yourself some time and skip this one. Warning: they made a sequel to this movie. Ghost Town (2008): This romantic comedy stars Ricky Gervais as a prickly dentist, Dr. Bertram Pincus. His chairside manner is both deplorable and hilarious as he says many things you can only dream about. Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear co-star in this fun, family-friendly movie. The Hangover (2009): There are only 14 adults on the planet who have not seen this movie about four guys in Vegas for a bachelor party that nobody can remember. If you are one of the 14, please put this on your priority list. Ed Helms plays Dr. Stu Price, a dentist with a missing front tooth. Horrible Bosses (2011): Jennifer Aniston plays one of the horrible bosses, Dr. Julia Harris, a dentist who is inappropriately affectionate with her male dental assistant. I would put this movie in the “dark comedy” category, and I can promise you will laugh at least once or 1,000 times. Television The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978): In this classic TV series, Bob Newhart plays a psychologist and Peter Bonerz played Dr. Jerry Robinson, a dentist with an office in the same building. Bob and Peter were the only two cast members to appear in every episode of the show. The Cosby Show (1984-1992): In Season 2, Episode 16 called “The Dentist,” Danny Kaye plays a wonderful dentist who must convince a reluctant child to get into his chair for an exam. He also has some great exchanges with Bill Cosby; , a classic 80s sitcom. Seinfeld (1990-1998): This epic television series invented new phrases such as “anti-dentite” and “yada, yada, yada.” One of the dental-centric episodes is titled: “The Jimmy” (Season 6, Episode 19). In this episode Jerry’s dentist, Dr. Tim Whatley, takes a hit of nitrous before putting Jerry to sleep for a procedure. Jerry comes out of his nitrous fog to see both the dentist and his assistant getting dressed. The actor playing the dentist is Bryan Cranston, now famous for his chemistry- teacher-turned-meth-dealer in the television series Breaking Bad. There are many more dental references to add to this list. Please visit the digital version of my article on Dentaltown.com and add some of your favorite media depictions of dentistry. Your questions and feedback are encouraged via e-mail: tom@dentaltown.com. ■ http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown March 2013

Dentaltown.com Highlights
Howard Speaks: Dentistry Could Come Back with a Vengeance
Professional Courtesy: I’m No Anti-Dentite
Continuing Education Update
Second Opinion: Should Endodontists Place Implants?
Needle Stick Question
Am I the Only One Who Didn’t Know How to Use My Loupes?
The Patient Blames Me for Cracking His Tooth
Corporate Profile: {KöR}
CAD/CAM Materials
Dentaltown Research: Cosmetic Dentistry
Do-it-Yourself Finance, Part IV: Savings and Investing
Product Profile: Centrix
Keep Them Coming Back
You Should Know: Likeable Dentists
Multimodality Endodontics
Endodontics for the Recent Graduate: Instrumentation
Continuing Education Porcelain Veneers: From Case Selection to Cementation
8½ Tips for Dental Safety Checklists
How Prepared Are You For a Medical Emergency?
Dental Stem Cell Preservation and the Dawning of Regenerative Oral Medicine
Product Profile: Ivoclar EvoCerem
Narrow Diameter Implant Overdentures with Locator Attachments
In This Issue: Zeroing in on Xerostomia
Perio Reports
Ad Index
Profile in Oral Health: Substances for Targeting Xerostomia
Dentally Incorrect

Dentaltown March 2013