As a symbol of female power and male castration anxiety, the vagina dentata motif shows up in sources ranging from ancient Greek, Native American, and Egyptian folklore to Neil Gaiman’s bestselling novel American Gods. However, the old myth has likely never before been presented as dramatically as in a new movie called Teeth.

While aggressive, self-assured women have sometimes been labeled ‘maneaters’, vagina dentata connotes something entirely more horrific: the phrase is Latin for “toothed vagina,” and means just that. Usually, the motif symbolically represents male fear of sex through the unconscious fear that a woman may eat or castrate her partner, but Teeth writer/director Mitchell Lichtenstein has interpreted the myth literally in his film’s protagonist, Dawn, who uses her supplemental dentition to become a sort of superheroic avenger, punishing male sexual predators in the most biting fashion.

As a uniquely feminist entry in the revenge-fantasy horror genre, the film has attracted its share of controversy, though accolades are already rolling in from sources as disparate as Feminist Review, Howard Stern, and the Village Voice. I plan to check Teeth out myself when I have a chance, but if things get too intense and I find the film arouses some primal, subconscious fear from deep within I can always comfort myself by reminding myself that vagina dentata are only imaginary. Still, I imagine theaters showing Teeth are likely to find at least a few male patrons covering their eyes and quietly muttering to themselves, “It’s only a movie…it’s only a movie…”

A study conducted by German researchers tracked the diets of two participants who were suffering from extreme diarrhea, abdominal pain, and unintended weight loss. After inconclusive investigations into the cause of their ailments, doctors finally evaluated their diets, which included large amounts of sorbitol every day (about 20 sticks of sugar-free gum and up to 200 grams of sweets per day, for a total of about 30 grams of sorbitol). When these participants curbed their sorbitol intake, their symptoms disappeared.

This sweetener, which is widely used in sugarless gums and deserts, is poorly absorbed by the small intestine. In high doses, it has a laxative effect potent enough to cause gastrointestinal problems including diarrhea, as well as weight loss of up to 20 percent of a person’s normal body weight.

Is this the weight-loss solution everyone has been awaiting? Probably not, since, although laxatives have been a weight-loss staple for decades, they generally cause a loss of water weight, not fat. Moreover, it appears that the participants in this study weren’t exactly enjoying their weight loss; they were enslaved to it and practically bound to the toilet. And one has to wonder, why were they chewing 20 sticks of gum a day in the first place?

So, chew 20 sticks of sugarless gum a day to relieve constipation, but stick to diet and exercise to reach a healthy weight.

As if visiting the dentist weren’t enough of a horror for many people, you can now have your filling replaced by “The Midnight Cavity Killer!”

Some dentists offer after hours appointments, usually until 8 p.m, or so. But there’s a dentist near Los Angeles who only just starts work at 6 p.m., and takes appointments until 2 am! Is she a vampire? Maybe. In addition to her late night office hours, her marketing campaign resurrects horror classics, including Dracula and the Werewolf, in a series of spoof horror-movie ads. “Abscess of Evil,” “Dentures for Dracula,” “They Floss by Night,” “Bite of the Living Dead,” and “Creature from the Plaque Lagoon” are the names of these flicks, starring none other than Patty Ross, D.D.S., AKA the “Dentist of Darknes.”

It’s a creative alternative to the typical smiling couples, cartoon teeth, and apples of typical dentists’ advertising. And, the late-night office hours and horror movie theme are intriguing. I just wonder if her office resembles her ads. Maybe she wears a black cloak, instead of the clinical white coat. Probably not, but it still sounds interesting.

As the calendar ticks off yet another year, one’s thoughts naturally turn toward goals that went unaccomplished during 2007. Of course, many of us set resolutions in an attempt to kick the new year off more productively than the last, but unfortunately, too many lack the resolve necessary to maintain those resolutions year-long: although weight loss is perennially the top new year’s resolution by a wide margin, the majority of people who sign up for gym memberships in January last only an average of six weeks before letting their often-pricy memberships lapse into inactivity.

This year, why not instead make a resolution that will most likely take up no more than an extra minute or so each day and cost you only a couple of dollars while improving your health and producing visible, lifelong results? Americans spend an average of 47 seconds brushing their teeth at each session — nowhere near the recommended two-minute minimum — and replace their toothbrushes only half as often as suggested by dentists.

Next time you’re at the store, pick up a fresh batch of soft-bristled toothbrushes for yourself and your family, and as much as you may want to cut corners in the morning, force yourself to brush for a full two minutes before running out the door. Toothbrush manufacturers, ever-quick to jump on new trends, now market both electric and manual toothbrushes with two-minute timers built right in for your convenience, but a standard kitchen egg timer placed on your bathroom counter can serve the same function. One tip: make sure you turn off the faucet while you brush. Not only does the running tap needlessly waste precious water, studies show that leaving the tap on often leads to rushed brushing.

By practicing proper dental hygiene, your family can enjoy the benefits of bright, healthy teeth throughout 2008 and for years to come — and avoid guilt over letting that gym membership card collect dust.

Here’s something to make a New Year’s toast to: alcohol can have a positive effect on teeth, according to a study reported in the Journal of Dental Research®. GASP!

Most people are aware of the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption on dental health: it can result in poor oral hygiene and increased tooth decay and gum disease. More serious consequences include increased risks of oral cancer, bleeding disorders due to liver damage; reduced immunity to infection; and adverse effects on certain tranquilizers, blood pressure medications, aspirin, and barbiturates.

However, researchers found the acetone and ethanol in whiskey to have a strengthening effect on dentin, the mineralized tissue that composes the bulk of the tooth. Technicians tested the strength of elephant dentin – similar to human dentin – prior to the experiment. They then soaked the dentin in 86-proof Scotch whiskey for approximately 24 hours. When they tested the dentin’s strength after soaking, it was significantly more fracture-resistant – an effect fully reversible by adding water to the tooth.

This is interesting, since one would intuit that a tooth would gain flexibility by having water ADDED to it, not taken away. However, the explanation makes sense: the hydrogen-bond-forming solvents in the alcohol replaced water in the teeth, increasing hydrogen and collagen links in the tooth. It is also interesting that only alcohol-drying –increased the tooth’s toughness; vacuum and solvent drying methods had the opposite effect.

What does this mean for the New Year’s Eve partygoer? Honestly, not much, since the average partier doesn’t marinate his teeth in whiskey, and since the effect is shortlived. But it is good to know that, among all the deterrents from making one last go of it in 2007, there is at least one slightly positive effect – or at least a good story to tell your friends.

For hundreds of years, the fabled ‘bullet catch’ has been widely considered the most dangerous magic trick. Since it first appeared in the 1500s, the illusion, which usually takes the form of a performer appearing to catch a bullet fired directly at him or her in their teeth, has led to the deaths of at least fifteen magicians, most notably American stage magician William “Chung Ling Soo” Robinson, who was fatally injured onstage in 1918 when a rigged gun malfunctioned. Still, illusionists like Criss Angel and Penn & Teller continue to perform the trick regularly, despite the opinion held by some magicians that the illusion should be permanently retired — even Harry Houdini was dissuaded from adding the bullet catch to his routine due to the inherent danger of performing any illusion involving a live firearm.

Despite the legendary magicians’ code of silence, few practitioners of stage magic would try to persuade even the most gullible of people that the feat the bullet catch trick appears to create could be duplicated in reality without gimmickry. However, an amazingly similar incident actually happened late in 2003, when a US Army reservist in Iraq was shot in the face and managed to survive because the bullet hit one of his front teeth, knocked it out, ricocheted off, and lodged in his upper lip! Other than a small wound below his nose and the need for a dental implant to replace his missing tooth, the soldier was almost completely unscathed.

So keep brushing, flossing, and getting dental checkups and cleanings regularly — you might not be able to catch bullets in your teeth, but still, you never know when healthy teeth could save your life!

Talk about an attention-getting headline: “Illinois Cop’s 3rd Wife Could Be Exhumed as Search for Missing 4th Wife Continues”. When I came across the headline, I was most struck by the words “exhumed”, “missing 4th wife”, and “cop”. However, my job as a dental website writer has warped my sensibilities a bit, and my next thought was, “I wonder if they’ll examine her dental records”. Forensics and dentistry – now there’s some food for thought…

I was discussing the topic with a colleague whose sensibilities are also clearly a little warped, since he (jokingly) suggested advertising quality dentistry that would last long enough for one’s relatives to identify one’s body through dental records. As morbid as it sounds, there is some truth to the statement; why are person’s teeth such tell-tale evidence in crime investigations?

The answer, according to Wikipedia, is fourfold, and relates to forensic dentistry, or forensic odontology. First, a person’s teeth are relatively unique to that person; they indicate the person’s age, lifestyle, and unique tooth-growth patterns, and a person with adequate dental records can be traced and identified according to those records – yet another reason to seek quality dentistry. A victim with missing or broken teeth, as well as bite marks on the victim or suspect, can be evidence of foul-play. Moreover, since the teeth do not decay at the same rate as other body tissues, they can be used to identify a body long after death.

Forensic odontology has played a key role in famous criminal cases, including the prosecution of Ted Bundy. Hopefully, a study of the aforementioned third wife’s dental records will provide some evidence to the discovery of her successor.

Dressed in a pink sweater, khaki pants, and red patent leather high heeled pumps, she looks like any other young woman in Tokyo. However, she is Simroid, a robot given the task of helping dentists-in-training learn a gentle chairside manner and techniques to eliminate unnecessary pain during dental care.

She grimaces, moves her eyes and hands, and even says “That Hurts!” when a student hits a nerve. Simroid’s sensor-equipped teeth can be replaced so that dental students can practice everything from a basic filling, to root canal therapy, and even tooth extraction. She even gags when instruments are inserted too far into the mouth.

Simroid has air-powered muscles, soft silicone skin, and responds to instructions by moving her head or even speaking. She’s eerily realistic, so much so that it’s creepy. In fact, when I first saw a video demonstration of her, I was given no other information except to just watch it. For a while, I couldn’t tell that she wasn’t just a human with a plastic-like complexion and strange mannerisms. Then, I read the accompanying article and was shocked.

But it makes sense. Instead of practicing on real people, dental students can train on a robot. There are no long-term consequences if a student pulls the wrong tooth or has a drilling incident go terribly wrong. Simroid’s teeth can just be replaced - ready for the next student.

Surely toothbrushes have a negligible environmental impact—they’re so small after all. But since everyone uses them, they do add up quickly in trash cans all over America. By the end of the year, no fewer than 25,000 more tons of toothbrushes will have made their graves in U.S. landfills.

Obviously, we still need to replace our toothbrushes three or four times a year, but there are ways we can reduce the amount of toothbrush waste. Here are three suggestions.

An easy way to eliminate the bulk of the wasted toothbrush is to replace the head and keep the handle. It’s not the handle that needs replacing anyway. Eco-DenT is one company that makes quality replaceable-head toothbrushes. Their TerrAdent toothbrushes not only save 80% of the plastic material, they save money, too! It just makes sense.

Another option for the environmentally-friendly cavity fighter is the so-called sustainable toothbrush. A company called Radius manufactures a replaceable-head toothbrush whose handle is made entirely out of renewable material that combines wood fiber with a plastic derived from Nebraska maize.

Finally, you can buy a toothbrush made of 100% (even the bristles) recyclable material. The American-made Preserve® toothbrush by Recycline is just such a brush. It offers functionality and the peace of mind of knowing that the handle is made from recycled yogurt cups and will be recycled into durable lawn furniture after you send it back to Recycline in the postage-paid envelope that comes with the toothbrush.

You know, pearly white and vibrant green always did go well together.

Most large cities feature a plethora of street vendors hawking various wares, including anything from hot dogs to bootleg DVDs. But would you ever consider having your dental work done by a street dentist?

Because India is so short on qualified dentists–the World Health Organisation estimates there is but one dentist for every 22,500 people in rural India–uncredentialed street dentists help meet the demand for cheap dental treatment in a country where a quarter of the population earns less than 40 cents a day. Street dentists’ “offices” consist simply of briefcases stocked with false teeth and dental tools or rudimentary displays set up in open-air markets and bazaars, where India’s poor can get false teeth placed for less than $2.50 apiece!

But before you book your ticket to Mumbai, remember that every great deal comes with a few hitches: since the practice is illegal, your practitioner may be difficult to locate when it comes time for a follow-up visit. Additionally, the less-then-sanitary conditions that come from receiving dental work in a Delhi street could expose you to an increased risk of infection or even HIV/AIDS. But you’ve got to admit—those prices are hard to beat!