Modern Mysteries

'Exploding teeth' case continues to perplex

By T.K. Randall
March 4, 2016 ·  13 comments

Dentistry in the 19th Century wasn't like it is today. Image Credit: CC By 4.0 Wellcome Library, London The first reported case of this anomalous condition was in 1817 when a clergyman from Springfield reported experiencing excrutiating pain in one of his teeth that nobody was able to explain.

"During his agonies he ran about here and there, in the vain endeavor to obtain some respite; at one time boring his head on the ground like an enraged animal," wrote Dentist WH Atkinson.

Most intriguing of all however was what eventually relieved the poor Reverend of his discomfort.

"At 9:00 the next morning, as he was walking the floor in wild delirium, all at once a sharp crack, like a pistol shot, bursting his tooth to fragments, gave him instant relief," Atkinson wrote.

Another similar case of 'exploding teeth' occurred 13 years later when a woman who lived nearby also experienced extreme toothache which disappeared after a sudden 'bursting' of the tooth.The phenomenon was also reported in 1871 by dentist J Phelps Hibler who treated a young woman whose excruciating toothache suddenly concluded when her tooth 'exploded' with such force and at such high volume that it knocked her over and caused her to go deaf for several days afterwards.

One possible explanation for this bizarre condition revolves around the idea that decay within a tooth can cause a build-up of gas that eventually explodes, however Hugh Devlin, Professor in Restorative Dentistry at the University of Manchester's School of Dentistry, has his doubts.

"It is highly unlikely that gas could build up in a tooth sufficient to cause it to explode – teeth are extremely strong," he said.

Another theory is that a combination of two different metals within a patient's filling can potentially produce a spontaneous electrolysis effect and a build-up of hydrogen within the tooth, however there is nothing to indicate that any of the patients actually had any fillings.

The phenomenon, it seems, remains as much of a mystery now as it was almost 200 years ago.

Source: BBC.com | Comments (13)

Tags: Exploding Teeth, Dentist