Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Episode: Armchair Anonymous: Dental Disaster
Date: November 21, 2025
Host: Dax Shepard with Monica Padman
Theme: Real-life dental mishaps shared by listeners with unfiltered humor, empathy, and a hearty dose of dental anxiety.
Episode Overview
This episode dives into the world of unforgettable dental disasters—an "Armchair Anonymous" format where Dax, Monica, and, in parts, guest co-hosts connect with listeners sharing their most cringe-worthy, painful, or downright bizarre teeth-related stories. The hosts oscillate between horrified empathy and irreverent humor, especially as Dax repeatedly notes this episode pushes his personal boundaries of squeamishness.
Key Discussion Points & Listener Stories
1. Christy’s VR Catastrophe
[02:36 – 14:29]
Story Highlights:
- Christy explains she’s ex-dental staff and prides herself on finding good dentists (03:00).
- Family birthday party in Redding, CA, featuring VR goggles and three rambunctious teenage nephews (04:01).
- Christy is put to a (virtual) plank-walking test in VR—leaps with gusto, not realizing real-world furniture is in front of her (06:35).
- Lands mouth-first onto the entertainment center, bending four front teeth backward, nearly knocking one out (07:08).
- Rushed to ER—staff bewildered (09:48), teeth are pushed back in and cemented by a non-dentist ER doctor.
- Sent on for actual dental care, no broken teeth or bones, ultimately requires months in braces but attends daughter’s birthday unharmed the next day.
- Nephews so traumatized by the incident they sell their VR goggles (13:02).
Notable Quotes
- "This is the worst episode we've ever recorded… We finally found the thing I'm very squeamish about." — Dax [00:21]
- "I feel a tooth on my tongue." — Christy [07:11]
- “My brain takes a second. I just stand. It is dead silent. I can feel blood in my mouth.” — Christy [07:22]
- “You shut that down. …My nephews all sold their VR goggles because they were so traumatized.” — Dax [13:03]
2. Amanda’s Zipline Faceplant
[15:14 – 26:38]
Story Highlights:
- Amanda, camp counselor, working zipline duty at a Pennsylvania summer camp (16:09).
- Tasked to retrieve an empty, runaway pulley, leaps to catch it, trips, and lands mouth-first on rocks (17:13).
- "I remember hearing a crunching noise." — Amanda [17:49]
- Sent to urgent care, then hospital; broke the bone above her top front teeth (maxilla), but didn’t lose teeth.
- Spends summer with yellow temporary braces, can’t bite into food, eventually needs root canals (24:54).
- Hospital visited is the inspiration for the TV show "The Pit." Amanda shares the ER’s chaos mirrors the show (26:29).
Notable Quotes
- “I was convinced that I had knocked all my teeth out. I held my hand in front of my mouth just in case…” — Amanda [22:54]
- “I just went, no.” (when asked if she was ok after the fall) — Amanda [23:42]
- “All I wanted was a taco the whole summer.” — Amanda [24:56]
- “I have told dentists… ‘it’s a little sensitive in the front…’ They were like—it shouldn’t be! — ‘Emotionally?!’” — Amanda [25:04]
3. Amy’s Laughing Gas Induced Spectacle
[29:02 – 44:33]
Story Highlights:
- Amy, from London, Ontario, shares her lifelong dental anxiety (30:41).
- Due to a cracked tooth from a candy sucker, needs a crown and opts for nitrous oxide during a three-hour appointment (32:12).
- Eats ramen and drinks coffee for breakfast beforehand (33:05).
- Under the dental dam and gas, suddenly passes out, then projectile vomits ramen noodles everywhere—all constrained by dental dam, causing noodles to shoot out the sides, into hair, ears, and on staff (34:44).
- Open concept dentist office means everyone hears, smells, and is affected; vacuums across the entire office shut down from noodle clog (39:19).
- Must finish her appointment drenched, sans gas, AirPods lost—eventually retrieved from her own vomit (41:24).
- Cautionary moral: Never eat before laughing gas.
Notable Quotes
- "I am projectile vomiting everywhere. …It's in my ears. It's in my hair. It's down my back." — Amy [34:44]
- “They are actually not made for noodles… so I clogged it… for the whole office.” — Amy [35:17]
- “It’s like getting dental surgery in the middle of the mall.” — Dax [39:49]
- “The theme of this story should have been: suck it up.” — Dax [41:43]
- “I have been back to the dentist. …But you know, the second I left, they’re like ‘what the fuck?’” — Amy [43:22]
4. Elizabeth’s Pool Ball Trauma
[44:38 – 53:53]
Story Highlights:
- Elizabeth recalls a childhood slumber party in California where she awoke to blood on her face; four front teeth shattered by a mysteriously airborne pool ball (47:55).
- Never discovers who/what caused it—suspects range from pets and mean girls to sleepwalking and even ghosts.
- Undergoes years of bonding as repair, learns to live with fear of dental adhesives failing during meals.
- Earlier, had a dentist with boundary issues ("pressed his dick against my arm every visit", but confessed: “He did great work and it was just the price of entry.”) [45:14]
- Remarks on trauma, dental phobias, and the way dental experiences haunt adulthood.
Notable Quotes
- “A pool ball… landed on my nose and mouth. …I realized I had bit a pool ball, but it was actually my four front teeth were shattered.” — Elizabeth [48:47]
- “No one knows what happened. ...Now, it could be a ghost.” — Elizabeth [49:33]
- “I continued to go to him for years because he did great work and it was just the price of entry.” — Elizabeth [45:38]
- “You have beautiful teeth. You’d have no idea that you were assaulted with a [pool ball] at a sleepover.” — Dax [52:55]
Tone and Memorable Moments
- Lighthearted Squeamishness: Dax often recoils and shudders at the graphic details, admitting this is his limit (“This is 50% of the nightmares I've had in my life…” [07:45]).
- Empathy and Camaraderie: Monica and Dax extend sincere support, especially regarding dental fear and embarrassment.
- Comic Relief: Banter about the absurdity of dentistry (“Suck it up… also the sucking of the sucking up.” [41:47]); Elizabeth’s candor about tradeoffs in dental care; Dax comparing open-concept dental work to “dental surgery in the mall.”
- Supportive Community: Listeners share how Armchair Expert became a comfort during recovery, or in healing old traumas.
- Practical Lessons: The segment often ends with takeaways—don’t eat before nitrous, check furniture placements for VR, and beware ziplines (or rocks nearby).
Timestamps for Notable Segments
| Timestamp | Segment/Highlight | |--------------|--------------------------------------------| | 00:21 | Dax confesses his squeamishness | | 02:36–14:29 | Christy's VR dental disaster | | 15:14–26:38 | Amanda’s zipline faceplant | | 29:02–44:33 | Amy’s laughing gas/ramen mishap | | 44:38–53:53 | Elizabeth’s pool ball slumber party trauma |
Final Reflections & Quotes
- “Be true to your teeth and they won’t be false to you.” — Dax, quoting his father [54:52]
- Multiple stories highlight resilience, humor, and the enduring power of a good dentist—and just how terrifying mouth injuries can be.
- Listeners express a mix of embarrassment, horror, and gratitude: for supportive friends, skilled (if sometimes eccentric) dentists, and for being able to laugh about it... eventually.
Useful Takeaways
- Always clear physical space before using VR—especially around furniture.
- Don’t eat before nitrous oxide at the dentist—ramen will cause more than emotional damage.
- Dental emergencies can flummox ERs—having a dentist already picked can be life-changing.
- Bonding is not as permanent as you hope; annual maintenance may be required.
- Sometimes you put up with a lot for good dental work—boundaries permitting!
This episode might not be for the faint of heart, but if you’ve survived—or are still haunted by—a dental disaster, know you’re in good company, and perhaps even ready to call in for the next Armchair Anonymous prompt!