Dentist's and Suicide --- True or False?

The Dental Maven often encounters individuals who take seemingly great pleasure in announcing the common belief that “dentists have the highest suicide rate.” Crikey. Why has this fable persisted for so many years? Does repeating this over and over create a sense of inner peace and well being much like the yoga om?


For example, The Maven fully expects a resurgence in such trash talk after recent news of the suicide death of Beverly Hills dentist Evan Chandler. He was the father of Jordan Chandler, who in the early 90’s received a rumored $20 million settlement from Michael Jackson over sexual abuse claims.

But Chandler had many factors which likely contributed to his suicide. And, by the way? Chandler hadn’t practiced dentistry in many years. The media has also hinted that Dr. Chandler was terminally ill. Indeed, it was his doctors at the Colanta Hematology and Oncology Centre in Bayonne, New Jersey who became concerned and alerted the building management when he missed an appointment. The building concierge found Chandlers body when he let himself into the apartment.

A terminal illness alone could have been the tipping point for Chandler. According to Medicine.net, “up to three out of four individuals who take their own life had a physical illness when they committed suicide.”

But let’s get back to that thread-bare hogwash about dentists and suicide. It sure does get under The Maven’s skin when otherwise intelligent individuals start spewing that fictional statistic about dentists. And many do so with great authority, a snide grin, puffed out chest, and palpable satisfaction. (grrrrr)

The etymology of the myth still remains a mystery to The Maven. In dental school we learned that it came from the days when dentists mixed the silver fillings (which, back then, contained much higher ratios of mercury) by hand. But that practice ended in the late 1930’s when the first commercially available silver filling mixer arrived on the scene. The literature suggests that the suicide myth began in the 1960’s, (30 years later) which doesn’t give much credence to the “mad-hatter” theory. (Thanks again, Boston University, for a great education in the historical perspective on dentistry)

So, are dentists more likely to commit suicide? Short answer: No.

A recent report in the Journal of Occupational Medicine concluded that white male dentists actually have a lower suicide rate than US working white men. This finding comes from an analysis of all deaths between 1984 and 1992 in 26 states that collect occupational information (non-white male and female dentists were not included in the study due to too small sample sizes). Interesting, however, was that this study as well as one from the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) in 2001 both point to white female physicians having a higher rate of suicide than their US working non-physician white females. Yeah. And do we ever hear that statistic trumpeted???? Pfffft.

So, let’s put that urban legend to bed, shall we? Cuz, as a dentist? I’d much rather hear about your Sasquatch sighting.

Arresting Images

Okay, Y’all. The Maven has seen a lot of jacked-up teeth in her day, but this one takes the cake. In fact, both The Maven and her assistant thought it might be a joke. But, turns out, this one’s legit.

Meet Mr. Dale Alan Lee, Dentition Extraordinaire!

Ol’ Dale came to the attention of the Florida police after stabbing a man in the stomach in Dade City. He was arrested on an aggravated battery charge.

Now how the hell did Dale’s teeth come to such a state of disrepair? Seems to me, you’d have to put some effort into that. And are we seeing his full compliment? Or is he down to those three? Cuz, if that’s the attendance in Orchestra, I’m willing to bet the cheap seats are empty.

Lee’s pearly whites weren’t lost on the Florida cops either. The local constabulary dubbed him “Dracula.” It’s reported that the officer in charge of mug shots had a tough time keeping a straight face while performing his professional duties.

And where, you might ask, did this story surface? Why, where else? But in the land that put the “British” in “British teeth.” The Maven first stumbled upon Lee’s story in the UK press – NOT the Florida press where the story originates. And the number of UK news hits is enormous. The Maven was hard pressed to find a Florida news outlet that even carried the story. Yes, it seems the UK reporters remain vigilant for that certain smile which takes dental decrepitude to the Next Level. Raises the bar. Creates a new benchmark. And it’s most especially satisfying if that “smile” happens to emanate from the US. The Sunday Metro.co.uk stated: “And to think that Americans take the mickey out of British standards of dentistry…”

They must have been soiling themselves over this one.

No One Needs To See That

Much as The Maven endorses proper dental hygiene, She also firmly believes there’s a time and a place for everything. And let’s be clear. Sporting events are neither.


A few days ago on November 8th, at one of the most popular “football clubs” in the world, (“soccer” for us Americans) Manchester United played Chelsea. Just as Chelsea was getting ready to send in a substitute player a fan was caught on tape brushing his teeth.




The hell? Dudes fully outfitted with a toothbrush at a national soccer game! Who does that? And where’s that full mouth of foam gonna go?  And let’s not forget, this is in ENGLAND! Just when did the UK get religion about oral care??

Somebody check that man’s passport.

The Man Behind The Mask

Everyone agrees that protective gear in sports keeps thousands of athletes safe from injury every day. So, why is it that regular use of such gear takes so long to catch on? Here’s a case in point:

Considering ice hockey rules were codified in 1879 by McGill University students in Montreal, (130 years ago!) it’s surprising to The Maven that the goalie mask did not come into regular use until just 50 years ago. It’s true that in 1930, Clint Benedict wore a crude leather mask to protect a broken nose, but he abandoned it after his injury healed.

It was Canadian Jacques Plante, AKA “Jake the Snake” who during his tenure with the Montreal Canadiens, made it respectable for a goalie to wear a mask during regular play. Plante, after missing 13 games due to sinusitis beginning in 1956, used his mask in practice to avoid getting injured. Coach Toe Blake refused to let Plante wear it during regulation play.

On November 1, 1959 at Madison Square Garden during a game against the New York Rangers, that all changed. Only 3 minutes into the game Plantes’ nose was shattered by a shot from right winger Andy Bathgate. Plante was led off the ice to the Montreal dressing room where he received medical attention and seven stitches. With a career total of 200 stitches on his face, Plante decided his days of submitting his visage to the puck were over. Plante informed Coach Toe he’d return to the game – but only with his mask. Blake was against it but with no backup goalie he bargained with Plante who agreed to stop using it once he’d healed. After a 21 minute delay, a masked Plante returned to the ice, setting the crowd abuzz. The Canadiens won the game 3-1.

As the days went on, Plante continued to use the mask and the Canadiens continued to win. Montreals’ winning streak stretched to 18 games. Then, on March 8, 1960, at Coach Blakes’ request, Plante didn’t wear the mask against the Detroit Red Wings. The Canadiens lost 3-0. The next night the mask returned for good and the Habs went on to win their 5th straight Stanley Cup.

In an era when goalies were chided for even considering wearing a mask, Plantes’ response was: “If you jump from an airplane without a parachute, is that considered an act of bravery?”

Hockey has not been speedy in the adoption of protective gear. The NHL finally mandated helmets for all players in 1979. The Mavens’ position on sport mouth guards has been made clear. But other sports have been even slower in acting to protect their players. Much of this resistance comes from the athletes’ machismo.

But one amazing athlete, amid the sneers and jeers of peers and others, stood up and said “no more.” And since that fateful night in 1959, untold numbers of eyes, noses and teeth have been saved.

Merci, Jacques Plante.

Dental Mythology

The Maven’s always been mildly perturbed by medical myths and the people who propagate them. A few that come to mind are: “You only use 10% of your brain,” and “you have to stay awake if you have a concussion,” or “if you go out in the cold with wet hair you’ll get sick.” It just goes to show that if you say something often enough people will believe it.


But when individuals with some perceived authority start creating myths about dentistry? Time to take the gloves off.

The Maven recently stumbled upon a small article in EthioPlanet discussing the airport scanner made by Rapiscan. It’s currently used in a number of airports instead of the traditional “pat-down.” Called a “backscatter” machine, it uses high energy x-rays which they claim are more likely to “scatter” than penetrate material compared to lower energy x-rays used in medical applications. “Although this type of x-ray is said to be harmless, it can move through materials such as clothing.”

The EthioPlanet article went on to say that, “Frequent fliers do not need to worry about radiation from the low-level X-ray… and a dental X-ray transmits 20,000 times more radiation.”

What the hell??? 20,000 times less radiation than a single dental x-ray? Somebody needs to review their remedial math. You damn journalists, not checking your information. According to the Rapiscan Manufacturer, one body scan delivers approximately 10 microrem. Each conventional film x-ray in dentistry delivers between 500 and 3000 microrem – a maximum factor of 300 - NOT 20,000 as reported. And that doesn’t account for digital x-rays - which nearly a third of dentists now use. Digital x-rays in dentistry deliver, by some accounts, between 80 and 90% less radiation than conventional film x-rays.

And the author didn’t stop at the mathematical error. The article states: “This scanner completely takes away the hassle of needing to undress. The images are not erotic or pornographic and they cannot be stored or captured in anyway.”

OH REALLY?

Because here’s what the Electronic Privacy Information Center had to say on that one: “The image resolution of the technology is high, so the picture of the body presented to screeners is detailed enough to show genitalia. These images are not necessarily temporary – screeners can save the body images to the system's hard disk or floppy disk for subsequent viewing on either the system monitor or on any IBM compatible personal computer with color graphics."

Can you say, “Google Images?”

Tell you what, The Maven will definitely be sporting her laciest thong next time She travels.

*For Anyone Interested:
Amount of background radiation we receive living on the planet: 350,000 microrem annually
Smoking a pack of cigarettes daily: 20,000 microrem
Mammogram: 30,000 microrem
Air Travel: 1000 microrem every 2006 miles

Nobody Wins With A Headbutt

Deep in the heart of Wisconsin’s dairy country, Stephen J. McCarthy allegedly knocked out his girlfriends tooth with a head butt during an argument. The victim swallowed her tooth.

Not surprising, this isn’t McCarthy’s first brush with the law. Back in June he got ticked off at the same gal, smashed her phone and then tried to drive away when the cops arrived. (brilliant)

-the hell?



Steve. Seriously? You head butted your girlfriend? DUDE! I mean c’mon, I know the report says you were drunk - but lots of people get drunk everyday and don’t go around head butting people that piss them off. What are you? Some kinda Keifer Sutherland wannabe? And that had to be a serious blow to knock your girls tooth out. Notwithstanding a periodontal issue which would make her tooth loose, it takes some major mustard to avulse a tooth. (F=ma, my man)


And what in tarnation tee’d you off so badly at 3 a.m. that brought you to fisticuffs? Most people are well into REM sleep by that time. Did you two square-off on whose turn it was to go into the kitchen and grab the next carton of cigs? Or to the fridge for another Schlitz? Or were you both dozing when one of you woke up, looked over to the other side of the bed, sat bolt upright and declared, “Y’know. I just realized. You’re ugly.” Cuz, yeah, I could see that would torque somebody off at 3 a.m.

And don’t even try to deny this, cuz dude? I saw your picture. I saw that boo-boo on your forehead. Yup, way up there by your personal solar panel. The Maven may not be a forensic odontologist, but that mark sure does look like it could have been inflicted by a tooth.

And what’s your girl gonna do now, missing one of her fronts? You gonna pay for that? Let’s go over her options:

1. Immediate Temporary Partial Denture. Advantages: least expensive (BUT STILL NOT CHEAP) quick to make, Disadvantages: made of acrylic so breakage is common, must be removed at night, often difficult to chew with, initially patient can have difficulty speaking normally, a temporary fix meant to address the cosmetic embarrassment of a missing tooth and not functionality
2. Cast Partial Denture: Advantage: Long term prognosis good, Disadvantages: must be removed at night, expensive
3. Maryland Bridge: Advantages: no need to aggressively shave down adjacent teeth, not removable, Disadvantages: may require some modification of adjacent teeth, expensive
4. Conventional Bridge: Advantages: good long-term prognosis, not removable, Disadvantages: Expensive, aggressive shaving down of adjacent teeth
5. Implant: Advantages: adjacent teeth remain untreated, good long term prognosis, not removable, Disadvantages: Expensive

So, Steve? Sister can’t be walking around with no tooth. Best consider trimming your alcohol budget, oh, and maybe get a job. (HINT: the “Nirvana” T doesn’t exactly scream “upper level management.”) And speaking of “management” here’s a link you might find illustrative: AngerManagementSeminar.com (court approved)

Welcome to My Site - Now Don't Touch Anything

Hey Internets! Sorry The Maven hasn't brought you news from the oral cavity lately.



Seems the H1N1 has decided to pay The Mavens' household a visit. We'll get back to the dental world as soon as the piggies clear outa here.

Best wash your hands after you leave.