Teeth

Abstract

Embedded in the fleshy gums, teeth can become weapons that can be sharpened, bared and snapped shut. Missing or damaged teeth can be replaced by false teeth and implants, while rotting teeth imply a process of decay. This chapter explores ideas around the bite, using the film Teeth (2007) with its vagina dentata, and Stephen King’s short story ‘Chattery Teeth’ (1992), part of the television movie Quicksilver Highway (1997). Discussion focuses on the anxiety surrounding extracted teeth in the films The Dentist (1996) and The Dentist 2 (1998), and Edgar Allan Poe’s short story ‘Berenice’ (1835). The loss of baby teeth accompanies the move into adulthood, with teeth as currency explored in the films Darkness Falls (2003) and Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2010).