A Showman in a Top Hat
In the early 1900s, Edgar Randolph Parker, a struggling dentist, turned to spectacle to survive. After legally renaming himself “Painless” Parker in 1915, he launched a traveling “Dental Circus.” Backed by a brass band, he claimed to extract teeth without pain—while tapping his foot to signal louder music, drowning out patients’ screams.
Cocaine, Whiskey, and a Tooth Necklace
Using a mix of diluted cocaine or whiskey, Parker’s pain relief was often unreliable. He wore a necklace made of hundreds of extracted teeth and hired performers to attract crowds. Some tooth extractions were staged with planted audience members; others were very real—and frequently painful.
Clinics and Lawsuits
Parker eventually opened a chain of 30 dental clinics on the West Coast, complete with branded products like Parker’s Mouthwash. But his tactics brought lawsuits, revoked licenses, and condemnation from the American Dental Association, which called him “a menace to the dignity of the profession.”
Artifacts of a Bloody Career
Today, visitors to Temple University’s dental museum can see Parker’s original tools, advertisements, and even the infamous bucket of teeth—relics from one of dentistry’s most controversial figures.
