A Curious Collection

“Teeth may appear to be the only bones you can see on the outside.” She said

gently shaking the antique cigar box. “And though they look more like bones, teeth are

in fact ectodermal organs. Fascinating really, that different species grow different

versions of these organs depending on what nutrients their bodies need. Look at the

canine teeth, for example, they are often greatly enlarged in relation to the size of the

carnivore. It perfectly coincides with the size and type of prey they devore. Evolution at

its finest.”

Placing the box back onto the cluttered yet meticulously organized shelves lining

the wall, she crosses over to the sink beginning to wash her hands methodically.

“Deciduous teeth better known as ‘baby teeth’, fall out of the species mouths

once they are ready to start hunting or consuming larger prey on their own. Or better yet

polyphyodonts, whose teeth continuously grow or are replaced by new more adequate

teeth throughout their lifetimes. Like the elephant tusk over there.” She gestured back

towards the shelves while patting her hands dry. “That tusk is what inspired my unique

archive. It was given to me by my grandfather. And while I can’t be sure of its exact

lineage, he believed it was acquired by poachers in Thailand.”

Upon discarding the towel used to dry her hands, she pulls two gloves from a box

and begins working them over each finger. “He was a collector, my Grandfather. Big

game and oddities of such. They say all the most interesting people collect something.

From Napoleon sparking the race between France and Britain to pillage Egyptian

antiquities to Andy Warhol’s alleged collection of pizza crust, there is an innate desire in

humans to document and preserve history, the good, bad, and the ugly. My grandfather

was drawn a bit more to the ugly, similar to Peter the Great's Wunderkammers, which

translates to wonder chambers. Yes, driven by scientific inquiry but there is also a

certain amount of morbid curiosity in all of us.”

With gloves secured, she approaches closer to the overhanging steel dental

table hosting a menagerie of instruments. “While I have tremendous respect for my

predecessors who’ve paved the way for these cabinets of curiosities, I have always

been a big believer in quality over quantity. The value of the specialization of a singular

study to fully understand the array of intricacies of said item isn’t for the indeterminate.

Suppose this is what differentiates me from my grandfather, while he identified as a

collector, I’d like to think of myself as more of an expert. Why dilute research across so

many fields, when there is so much to unpack individually?” She runs her hand over the

tip of the dental knife, observing its pointed end. “For instance type, function, anatomy,

composition, care, defects, and what I am currently studying, history. Which simply said,

is its very own endless category to evaluate. However, in this case, it may be classified

in what I am calling, social trends. The past decade has introduced a whole new

evolution of human dental direction, with advancements in cosmetic enhancements

leading this new era.”

Place down the dental knife, she picks up a small syringe filled with mere

milliliters of clear liquid, and with a gentle push a drop of the liquid trickles out of its

pointed end. “I suppose that’s why I was so drawn to you. You are a prime specimen of

this century's advancement and I truly feel honored to be cultivating from you.”

She clicks on the post-mounted dental light with its blinding haloed glow and

draws near with the syringe. “I digress. Let us begin. Try to relax, you may experience

some pressure and other sensations, which is to be expected. Now open wide.”