Tales to sink your teeth into

The appearance of teeth plays a significant role in certain films and books.

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What is a wicked vampire without the pointy fangs, or a great white shark without its rows of lethalchompers? Take away their teeth and what you are left with is a pasty immortal and an overgrown fish. Would these characters be interesting to watch or read about?

The appearance of teeth plays a significant role in certain films. Special dental prosthetics alter the appearance of teeth thus giving the actor flawless, yet revolting dentition. An unforgettable villain in the James Bond franchise was fitted with a prosthesis made of stainless steel. The evil assassin could chew through chains and cables. Originally the script called for the henchman’s death at the end of the film,  The Spy Who Loved Me . However, the metal-mouthed character made such an impact that he was retained to act in the subsequent Bond film  Moonraker . Following his popularity in these films, the villain appeared in many video games. Monster teeth for zombies, giants, and their ilkcan be easily fashioned from basic dental materials for films and costume parties.

Meanwhile in literature, stories of teeth take a didactic tone—with messages about good oral hygiene practices and a regular visit to the dentist. There are innumerable tales featuring the tooth fairy, while an equal number that feature menacing carnivores out to chow down tasty humans. Jim Corbett wrote a collection of chilling tales about man-eating big cats in his novels, 

Man Eaters of Kumaon  and 

The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag . Peter Benchley's 

Jaws  tells the spine-tingling story of a shark with razor sharp teeth preying upon a small resort town. Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation with the same name was a box-office success.

Teeth are valuable to all of us. This is evident from the sheer number of toothpaste commercials that flash across our TV screens. The next time you sink your teeth into an apple and lose another baby tooth, don’t fret. Your permanent teeth will erupt soon enough. However, unlike sharks that can sprout over 30,000 teeth, we get only 32 permanent teeth to serve for an entire lifetime. We'd best take care of them, don’t you agree?