This is a sculpture that I made in a college sculpture class—the tooth is carved from a 10 pound block of alabaster that I personally selected due to the reddish hues held within the block. To me, it is reminiscent of pulling a tooth out of one’s mouth (not that I have yet had the opportunity to do this!), with a little bit of blood incorporated onto the surface. My professor in the course took a video of me chiseling away at the stone, as it seemed as though I was really working and drilling on a giant sized tooth. If only I had the video to share as well as the photos! In college, I was not as adept at dental anatomy as I am now—that is to say that it is a little inaccurate as the tooth has four roots, but I took some creative liberty as it was necessary for structural soundness. The art piece currently serves as a bookend on my bookshelf, but I hope to one day be able to display it in my future office! See photos below!
This post was contributed by Jessica Castillo, Pre-Dental Committee Chair at ASDA District 2 and student at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine ('23). Instagram: @jcast2345