You Wouldn't Believe Who Used To Be A Dentist

While cleaning teeth may not seem like a very exciting profession, several notable people have chosen to become a dentist and have gained notoriety in history. From a famous western gunslinger to a current pop group to the victim of a man-eating plan -- dentistry might be more interesting than you think.

Everyone knows who Doc Holiday is from Western movies, but few people remember that he was actually a dentist. Although pulling teeth may not be as exciting as gambling and showdowns at the O.K. Corral, Doc thought he'd give it a shot before turning to a life of excess. He opened his dentistry business in Dallas, Texas in the 1870's, but due to a chronic cough he drove away potential patients. In order to compensate for a failing business, he turned to gambling to bring in the bucks, and the rest is history.

At Ohu University in Japan, four young men combined their passion for dentistry and music to form a mysterious pop/rock band called GReeeeN. When the group first began in 2007, the members had met at school while each was studying to become a licensed dentist. Due to a conflict of interest between their dental aspirations and public image, the group initially decided to keep their identities concealed until they all received their degrees and passed national dentistry exams. However, following licensure, they chose to continue to lead their double-life and remain masked during performances so that they could continue to pursue dentistry in their spare time. The band has released several albums and has won numerous awards.

Not every dentist gives the profession a good name. The few eccentrics seem to stand out among the many greats though. Martin van Butchell is a prime example of demented dentistry. He began his profession in London during the 1760's, but decided that he needed a zany marketing idea to stand out in the busy city. In order to attract attention, he had his recently deceased wife professionally embalmed, gussied up, and then displayed in front of his practice. He gained attention, most of it negative, and eventually remarried a woman with some common sense who demanded that the body be removed. He donated his wife's body to the Royal College of Surgeons, but due to poor embalming it deteriorated and was eventually destroyed during WWII by a bombing raid.

Probably the most famous fictional dentist, Steve Martin played Orin Scrivello, a crazed and abusive tooth puller in the 1986 film Little Shop of Horrors. Perhaps it was his sadistic streak that created a generation of dental fear, but he certainly got what he deserved in the end. During the film, a nerdy flower shop employee, Seymour, inadvertently nurtures a man-eating plant until it demands entire human bodies to satiate its growing hunger. Orin becomes a target as he's dating Seymour's love interest, Audrey. Seymour books a dental appointment with the intentions of murdering him, but loses his gumption. Fortunately, Orin goes to town on the nitrous oxide, asphyxiating himself, and leaving Seymour to feed his plant for the day.