The Dentist Only Got a "C" in Tooth Extraction… Then Everything Goes Completely Wrong

What Happens When Your Dentist Needs a Textbook to Pull a Tooth?

Imagine sitting comfortably in a dentist’s chair, expecting a routine appointment. You trust the medical professional to know exactly what he is doing. Then he casually admits that he only received a "C" in tooth extraction from dental school. And somehow, that is only the beginning of your nightmare.

First broadcast on March 3, 1969, on The Carol Burnett Show, "The Dentist Sketch" starring Tim Conway and Harvey Korman is widely regarded by television historians and comedic critics as one of the greatest sketches ever written for American television.

The Real-Life Military Inspiration

Surprisingly, Conway did not dream up the premise entirely out of thin air. Years later, he revealed that the sketch was inspired by an actual experience he had while serving in the United States Army in the 1950s. A newly minted military dentist had accidentally numbed his own thumb while preparing to inject Conway's gums.

Conway recognized the comedic brilliance of the situation and filed it away in his memory, waiting years until the right opportunity presented itself to bring it to life alongside his favorite comedic partner, Harvey Korman.

The Chain Reaction of Self-Anesthetization

In the sketch, Conway plays a nervous, bumbling novice dentist attempting his very first extraction on an impatient patient suffering from an agonizing toothache (played with exasperated perfection by Korman).

As Conway prepares the Novocain syringe, he accidentally jabs his own thumb. Within seconds, his hand goes limp. Trying to manage the heavy syringe with his opposite hand, he inadvertently injects his other palm, followed by his wrist, and eventually his own thigh. By the climax of the scene, Conway is flopping around the dental chair with a completely paralyzed lower half, attempting to pull Korman's tooth with his teeth.

"During the sketch, Harvey laughed so hard that he famously suffered a minor bladder mishap right on camera. They couldn't cut the scene because the live audience was laughing so loudly the floor was shaking."

The Unrehearsed Magic of Live Variety TV

During table reads and rehearsals, Conway had performed the sketch in a relatively understated manner. He never told Korman that he intended to inject his own leg during the live taping. When Conway suddenly collapsed into a heap of numb limbs, Korman had zero preparation.

The result was pure, unadulterated comedic joy. The Dental Sketch remains a testament to the lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry between Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, standing as a high-water mark of physical comedy that continues to captivate millions of new viewers across digital platforms today.