Boston Celtics star Derrick White provided a cautionary tale about never skipping a dentist appointment.
In the second quarter of the Celtics game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, March 6, White, 30, took an elbow to the face from the 76ers’ Kelly Oubre. White immediately grabbed his mouth and hurriedly scooped up some debris from the court.
The debris, as it turned out, was White’s own teeth.
“It’s not a pretty sight,” White told reporters after the game. “Thankfully I covered my mouth right away.”
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The Celtics star explained that the four teeth on his top row are connected with a “bridge, I think it is what the dentist people call it.”
After grabbing the teeth, White had a decision to make.
“Luckily they were right there,” he said. “I picked them up, we went to the back and I was trying to debate how I was going to go back. I got some glue and I put the mouthpiece on and we were good to go.”
White added, “After the glue and the mouthpiece, I figured, ‘What’s the worst that could happen as long as I didn’t take the mouthpiece out?’ Just get back out there and keep the mouthpiece in. That’s kinda how I thought about it.”
The bridge, White explained, was a “temporary” solution for some dental work that he had been kicking down the road.
“I was supposed to go in probably like two weeks ago,” White said. “But I kept pushing it off to get my permanent ones.”
White joked, “I’m gonna go tomorrow.”
When asked whether he might now wear a mouthpiece full-time, White said he would “consider” it but called it “unlikely.”
White played a total of 24 minutes on Thursday night, with 12 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds.
After the game, White’s teammates didn’t exactly have sympathy for his dental drama.
“It’s tough, he’s got a target on his head I think,” Celtics center Luke Kornet told NBC Sports Boston during an on-court interview. “I didn’t see it. I didn’t realize that was happening, but then I saw him back and he had some sort of mouthguard or something in. He was apparently supposed to go to the dentist two weeks ago and missed that appointment.”
Kornet, 29, then looked straight into the camera and said, “Kids, that’s why you gotta make sure you make those dentist appointments, because you might get elbowed in the face and lose your teeth.”
The Celtics return to action on Saturday, March 8, when they host the Los Angeles Lakers.
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