{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Loreplay","title":"Exploding Teeth: Your New Phobia Unlocked","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/3b186988\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1902,"description":"In this absolutely chaotic slice of history, we dive into one of the strangest—and most painful—medical mysteries ever recorded: exploding teeth. Yes. Actual human teeth. Exploding. Inside people’s mouths. Set in the early-to-mid 1800s, this episode centers around several documented cases—most famously that of Reverend D.A. Spriggs—whose sudden, violent dental pain didn’t just throb… it detonated. Victims reported intense pressure, unbearable agony, and then—BANG—teeth cracking, shattering, or even bursting apart with an audible pop.\nWe follow the timeline of these bizarre incidents, focusing on personal accounts that read more like horror fiction than medical documentation. People described flashes of light, gunshot-like sounds, and immediate relief after the explosion—as if their mouth just rage-quit.\nSo what the hell was happening?\nWe break down the leading theories:\n Early dental fillings made from unstable metals (hello, 1800s chaos chemistry) \n Hydrogen gas buildup inside decaying teeth (yes, your mouth potentially becoming a tiny bomb) \n Galvanic reactions—basically a battery forming in your mouth because of mixed metals \n…and why none of these explanations fully hold up under scrutiny.\nBecause here’s the thing: even modern dentistry can’t fully explain how a tooth could generate enough internal pressure to literally explode.\nSo was this a weird cluster of misdiagnosed dental abscesses? A case of experimental dentistry gone wrong? Or something even stranger—something we just don’t understand anymore?\nEither way, this episode will make you:\n Fear toothaches on a whole new level \n Deeply appreciate modern dentistry \n And maybe… never ignore mouth pain again \nBecause in the 1800s, a toothache wasn’t just annoying.\nIt might have been a ticking time bomb.\nSOURCES\nPrimary Source\n\"Explosion of Teeth With Audible Report\"\nW.H. Atkinson. The Dental Cosmos, Vol. 2, January 1861. University of Michigan / Hathi Trust digital archive....","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/qrKRCVgS-SidSX8b9CGzZDHhnpF4bwxZyw2FLc5pukw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83MTBl/MDI3MGZkZGE0M2U0/MmJlYjhmNGQ4NjAy/NmY0Ny5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}