As long ago as George Washington's time, slaves were subjected to tooth pulling so that their masters could get a replacement for a missing tooth. Now Dentist Ernest M. Pafford of Phoenix, Ariz, has carried the idea to its technological conclusion: wisdom teeth and a few front teeth extracted from patients needing whole dentures are tagged for blood type and Rh factor, then preserved indefinitely in a deep-frozen tooth bank. When a tooth is transplanted, it is first held in place by a blood clot in a carefully made socket in the recipient's jaw. Discomfort usually passes off in about 18...
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