Groovy Dentist

"Groovy people should wear groovy clothes," said San Francisco dentist Rodney Pain in 1971. "That way we turn on the whole world."

Pain embodied this ideal by doing away with the white tunic typically worn by dentists and always wearing groovy clothes instead.

Dr. Pain sounded familiar, and then I realized that I've posted about him before. He's the same guy who made the news in 1966 because he played bagpipes for his patients while waiting for their fillings to set.

Well, I assume it's the same guy. How many dentists named Rodney Pain could there be in San Francisco?

Note that in the 1966 photo, he isn't yet wearing groovy clothes.

Colorado Springs Gazette - Mar 5, 1971

Dr. Rodney Pain in 1966, playing bagpipes

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Sun Sep 27, 2015
Category: Medicine | 1970s

Comments

Now-a-days all they've got to set fillings is that funny blue light stick thingie.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 09/27/15 at 09:28 AM

I get curious about the stories related here and will sometimes do a google search for more information. Dr. Pain's story is one such I could not resist. I found this link: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/PAIN-Rodney-Hamish-Hope-2823647.php to an obituary in SFGate. A very interesting person besides his bagpipe playing (competitively by the way) and his choice of clothing while working. Worth a read

Posted by Steve E. on 09/27/15 at 02:11 PM

Steve, thanks for the link to Pain's bio. Great find! I agree, he seems like a fascinating character.

Posted by Alex on 09/27/15 at 03:49 PM

@Expat -- The old material began to harden as soon as it was mixed. It was always a balancing act to mix it so you'd have enough time to do the work without having to wait a long time after you're done. The new stuff doesn't set up until exposed to UV light, so the work can take as long as it takes, and there's no waiting afterwards.

Posted by Phideaux on 09/27/15 at 04:54 PM

Note that in the 1966 photo, he isn't yet wearing groovy clothes.
Yeah, cuz groovy is a 70's thing!

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 09/29/15 at 08:14 PM

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