This week will mark the beginning of the end of an era as the world sits in anticipation for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. I must warn you that I have never read the Harry Potter books, but my patients, especially my younger ones, have been counting down the days until July 15th – the movie’s scheduled release – for months.
To pay homage to the successful series and world trend, the topic of this post will be one of everyone’s favorite characters, Hermione Granger. Actually, Hermione Granger’s teeth. For those of you who haven’t read the Harry Potter series, Hermione Granger is the daughter of two muggles (people who are not witches), who were very accepting of their daughter’s identity as a witch. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were both dentists who worked along side each other at their Australian practice. Hermione was extremely clever, always at the top of the class; she was that girl in school that always raised her hand for everything and read the entire book before the class got through the first chapter.
Hermione was also given the gift of unusually large front teeth and a crooked smile.
So, just how did Hermione manage to straighten her teeth? Fortunately for Hermione, she lives in a magical world. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Hermione’s classmate Malfoy put a spell on her, giving her large fangs.
“Hermione” Ron said, looking sideways at her, suddenly frowning, “Your teeth…”
“What about them?” she said.
“Well, they’re different… I’ve just noticed….”
“Of course they are– did you expect me to keep those fangs Malfoy gave me?”
“No, I mean, they’re different to how they were before he put that hex on you…. They’re all… straight and– and normal-sized.”
Hermione suddenly smiled very mischievously, and Harry noticed it too: It was a very different smile from the one he remembered.
“Well… when I went up to Madam Pomfrey to get them shrunk, she held up a mirror and told me to stop her when they were back to how they normally were,” she said. “And I just… let her carry on a bit,” she smiled even more widely. Mum and Dad won’t be too pleased. I’ve been trying to persuade them to let me shrink them for ages, but they wanted me to carry on with my braces. You know, they’re dentists, they just don’t think teeth and magic should– look! Pigwidgeon’s back!”
In the real world, Hermione’s parents would have been right. Teeth and magic just don’t mix for the majority of us muggles. Actress Emma Watson, who plays Hermione, ended up having conventional orthodontic treatment to straighten her pearly whites. Emma Watson is all grown up now, and with or without sorcery, it seems her braces have magically disappeared.
To all you Harry Potter fans, all of us at Aesthetic Orthodontics hope you enjoy the bittersweet ending to magical world of Harry Potter. Wear your Gryffindor scarves proudly and immerse yourself in the final battle where Harry, Ron, Hermione, and their allies defend Hogwarts and the magical world civilization against the Dark Lord.
And, if, perchance, your enemy happens to cast a spell on you and you grow fangs or your teeth suddenly get crooked, give us a call. We may not have magical powers, but we surely can help.