In a year filled with coronavirus, wildfires, a major presidential election, a second strain of coronavirus, and a boatload of other problems, dentistry’s standout moments may have gone unnoticed. Throughout the year, the industry has found its place in pop culture more than once. Let’s review…

‘Tend’- ing to millennial teeth.

• Although launched in October of 2019, dental startup Tend came to the forefront this year on Tik Tok. In viral Tik Tok videos, Tend patients walked viewers through their experience at the “studio”. Yep, “studio” not practice, not clinic. This shift in the title is all to get patients to “look forward to the dentist” as their slogan suggests.
  
  The boutique studios in New York City offer whitening, braces, veneers, check-ups, and while they’re at it, they sanitize your phone. Prior to sitting in the chair, patients pick their Netflix show and toothpaste flavor through an online survey and receive a welcome bag upon arrival. Tend has established itself as the dentist for millennials and looks to expand to both Boston and DC in 2021.

Supreme x Colgate collab.

• Supreme, the ultimate streetwear brand, teamed with Colgate back in October for an exclusive Thursday drop. The skate brand has previously collab-ed with the likes of Louis Vuitton, North Face, Nike, and more. Every Thursday, Supreme drops their new collection, selling out in a matter of seconds. Buyers purchase the items and resell them for up to 40x the original price. The Supreme Cavity Protection toothpaste resells for around $15. Without the Supreme logo, Colgate Cavity Protection can be purchased at Target for a whopping 95 cents.

1PENEMY features Ryan Reynolds.

• Street artist, 1PENEMY (AKA Dr. Nick Toscano – NYC Dentist to the models ) is known for his celebrity mugshot art around the city. This spring, Dr. Toscano teamed up with CastleGrade masks to promote mask-wearing and public safety.
  The art showed up all around New York City – and the image of Ryan Reynolds with a mask and sign saying “Cover your face and save lives” went viral, even popping up on Daily Mail. While Reynolds has yet to officially comment on the art, he did repost Hugh Jackman’s Instagram story of the art. I think Ryan approves.

Tik Tok filing hack? @thebentist says no.

• Here’s a tip: don’t leave teens in a room alone with a nail file. Clips of users filing down their teeth with the tool to get a more “perfect” smile began going viral on the app in early September. The original video posted by @cheneltiara garnered over 20 million views, and others quickly followed in her footsteps.
  One teen got bored in the middle of the night and decided to give it a try. The result? Filing down her teeth to the point of constant discomfort while eating and drinking. @thebentist had the perfect response to post to his 7 million Tik Tok followers: “Don’t come crying to me when your teeth are more sensitive than a two-year-old crying over spilled milk.”
  AMEN!

DJ Khaled goes to the dentist.

• At the height of the pandemic, DJ Khaled broke his three-and-a-half month quarantine to head to the dentist. The DJ/songwriter/record producer/media personality suffered from excruciating pain in a root canal-treated tooth. He stepped out in a full hazmat suit and posted his safe journey on Instagram with the caption:
  “Play wit it if you want (🦠) I got kids I don’t play games 🤲🏽 First day out the crib in 3 and half months 😷”.
  Major key alert.
  

2020 was certainly a year to forget, but let’s remember these awesome moments in dentistry. Here’s to 2021!