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Collecting extracted teeth
Started by ktran17
This struck me as strange at first, but then I realized we kinda do the same thing for med school. After admissions, we got a letter asking us to collect a cadaver. Most of us were able to get one through the coroner or a family friend who was a detective, but a couple of us had to harvest our own from among the homeless.
Great idea, I'm gonna go find some homeless people and punch the crap out of them knocking some teeth out.
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How do you approach dental offices for this? Do you call ahead or do you just walk in an explain your situation? While I imagine the doctors will be familiar with the practice as they went through it all themselves, the front office staff might think you're a weirdo asking for human teeth lol.
My school asks us to use thymol crystals in alcohol solution. I don't recall the exact proportions at this time.
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Haha now THAT would be a little weird. Just ask around dental offices in your neighborhood if they can collect teeth from extractions for use in dental school. Many offices will have done it before for other students and if not, probably the dentist will know what's up. So far I asked 2 offices and they were more than willing. I'm planning to check out larger dental practice (oral surgery group) with multiple doctors also since general dentists don't do too many extractions without caries.
Besides your local dentists, you might also try daycares and preschools. Children tend to be fiercely proud of their teeth and generally want to take them home, so you may not have tons of luck. However I did get one preschool to agree to let me drop off a collection jar in case any of the children wished to donate to science. Make it a learning experience for the children and it may work out. Good luck 🙂
I mean think about it. YOU GET TO BE THE TOOTH FAIRY!
Don't buy teeth people. It's easy to get dentist to collect them for you!
I had to collect teeth for a research project I did.. Except I was in Springfield Massachusetts which is a scary scary area.. I live in NJ and played sports in college so I contacted oral surgeons near my house and had my parents bring them to me when they came to my field hockey games.. Freaked my teammates out but I had about 150-200 teeth. Best bet is go to a bunch of oral surgeons in your area most of them will give you a jar of teeth or a couple of jars..
My dentist has been collecting teeth for me but I think she is storing in them in straight undiluted bleach... It's been about 3 months now. Do you guys think the teeth are ruined/ too brittle now?
my school is suggesting a plastic jar? does it matter if its plastic or glass lol?
Either is fine, plastic just won't break as easily if you drop it.
D
deleted616533
Which schools require this? What school are you going to?
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