There are some fascinating accounts of traditional dentists using a little-known technique to pull teeth in a way that causes the patient no pain nor bleeding.
You may have thought the dentist is the only acceptable option for pulling teeth.
There is, however, a traditional technique that has been passed down from generation to generation, though it’s unfortunately a dying technique. Still, the simplicity and effectiveness of it, not to mention the mysteriousness, shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Here’s three accounts from three different countries where people have seen this traditional technique used.
One day in 1993, Sophie Liu was standing by the main entrance of her office in Qiqihar, a city in northeast China, when she noticed a large gathering of people watching some sort of demonstration outside.
Curious as to what all the fuss was about, Liu took a brief stroll across to the public square to have a look.
There she noticed a man, who didn’t appear to be a local, let alone a north easterner, judging from his clothes. (Apparently north easterners can tell). He had a mat laid out beside him, with a pile of teeth on top.
This man was pulling teeth for people, and he didn’t have any dentistry equipment.
Liu saw the man had a tiny bottle, “about the size of a thumb,” which he unscrewed the cap of and held next to the patient’s cheek, of whom he was pulling a tooth for.
The patient would be instructed to suck in the contents of the drug through their cheek.
Though Liu could not immediately understand what happened during this process, other than seeing the opened bottle being pressed against the patient’s cheek—what occurred next left a deep impression.
From his pocket, the man took out a matchstick.
“The moment he pressed the matchstick against the bad tooth, the tooth was removed,” Liu observed, adding that it was a very quick process. “After it was removed, the person could go.”
“This is what I saw with my own eyes,” she testified.
When asked how much the man charged per tooth, Liu said she didn’t know, and didn’t see anyone pay money.
Liu says this is a type of supernormal technique that is among many traditional medicinal techniques transmitted secretly in China.
“This is not something that just anyone can use,” she says.
Mr. Li held lectures in Qiqihar starting on July 16, 1993, which coincides with the year Liu mentioned.
To remove an aching tooth using this thrifty technique, he charges a mere 120 Indian rupees (approx. US$1.70).
Singh told Upadhayaya a little about the special drug, which he contains within a curious bottle. The drug, which is transparent but pungent, was made up by his grandfather, used by his father, and now he. “Others do possess this drug, but they keep it a secret,” says Singh.
Upadhayaya observed Singh apply his tooth-pulling technique to Vijay Kumar, 67.
“Singh applied his concoction to the area around the tooth, and within a minute, had it removed,” states Upadhayaya. “There was no bleeding and no pain.”
“I didn’t even know what happened,” says Kumar after his tooth was pulled out with ease.
Singh’s prices are modest, and despite the absence of modern medical equipment, his tooth-pulling technique proved to be arguably advanced. It’s exactly what any patient would want, so long as they’re daring enough to seek out a man on a side street, who wears not the typical dentist’s mask and gloves.
Although that may be a turnoff to some, Singh’s simple, painless, and honed technique is favored by those who are able to look beyond the conventional.
“I had a client in Delhi,” relays Singh. “He told another high-ranking officer from Maharashtra [a coastal state about 700 miles southwest of Delhi], and he came all the way looking for me in this lane in Jammu.”
His father, who he learned the technique from, told him never to cheat anybody or charge high prices to get their teeth pulled.
It’s for this reason that Singh is not solely a dentist by trade, and earns his bread and butter from a small electronics business he started.
In fact, he only uses this technique on request, and doesn’t openly advertise it.
Unfortunately, as his children are unwilling to learn traditional dentistry, the technique may not be passed down anymore in his family.
Taiwanese business man An Hong has also witnessed this mysterious method of removing a tooth without the use of anesthetics, injections, drills, or whatnot.
Around 30 years ago in Chiayi, central Taiwan, Hong accompanied his father to meet Wang Luxian, who was known by the locals for his extraordinary method of pulling teeth.
Wang, in his 30s at the time, operated not out of a dental clinic, but on a clearing in Minxiong Township. He too had a bottle of liquid medicine, which he would open and hold against the patient’s cheek, corresponding to the area of the bad tooth.
He didn’t use a matchstick to remove the tooth, rather, just his hand. The tooth would come out painlessly, and the patient would not bleed.
“Because he removed the wrong tooth and I was on the scene, I felt a little loss of face,” Hong chuckles.
So, Wang ended up removing two teeth for Hong’s father—who happened to be home at the time of the interview and chimed in, “it wasn’t painful.”
He doesn’t recall how much his father was charged, but only knows it was inexpensive. Aside from pulling teeth, the man also sold his liquid drug to anyone interested.
Hong says he hasn’t heard of Wang since, and believes this method has since become extinct in Taiwan.
When asked if he‘d be willing to try it if he needed it himself, Hong said, “I’d go to a proper dentist, as I don’t trust it,” adding, “he doesn’t have any modern equipment.”
Although he'd opt for the dental clinic himself, Hong was able to witness this alternate method applied, and can testify to the efficacy of traditional treatment.
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