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Drew Barrymore shared her extreme aversion to dental visits on the April 18 episode of her talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, confessing she’d “rather eat glass” than go to the dentist.
During a lively chat with co-host Ross Mathews on the “Drew’s News” segment of the show, the conversation turned to a unique method a dentist in Minneapolis uses to soothe his patients—a goldendoodle named Ollie who comforts them during their appointments.
“Douglas, we have a dentist appointment next week,” Barrymore mentioned to her dog, who was present in the studio, linking the story to her own upcoming dental visit.
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Barrymore, 49, didn’t hold back on her feelings about dental appointments, expressing a deep dread for them. “All I know is that every time I go to the dentist, I’m like, ‘Break out the gas, the needle. Like, can you put me in twilight?'” she explained.
She described her visits as “so miserable and painful,” citing her less than perfect smile, saying, “I have really sensitive teeth. I have, like, crooked, yellow, nasty, old teeth. I don’t have those gorgeous, chomper, pearly whites.” She went on to admit, “I hate it. I hate it so much but I go.”
In contrast, Mathews shared his strategy for overcoming his fear of dentists by tricking himself into liking the visits. “I was so scared of the dentist for a while and then I just decided — I made the change in my head. I said, ‘No, you like it now.’ And I believe myself,” he recounted to Barrymore.
Turning the discussion to the audience, the 50 First Dates actress asked who else would prefer to “eat glass” over visiting the dentist, which saw a significant show of hands, indicating shared sentiments. An audience member named Michelle expressed her own wish: “I basically ask my dentist every time I go if she can just knock me out. She doesn’t, sadly.”
Barrymore humorously responded, “Michelle, I wish that you and I could open an oral facility where you come in and you don’t know what happens and then you just get sent out,” envisioning a dream dental scenario for those who dread the experience as much as she does.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.