No interest in root canals? This dentist’s ‘Star Wars’ video might change your mind

Does he tell his patients to “use the floss?” A video that splices a Hawaiian shirt-wearing dentist into “Star Wars” to explain laser root canals has gone viral.

“Lasers aren’t just for X-wings anymore,” says Dr. J. Steven Abernathy in his YouTube video on the wonders of laser root canals.

The video adds Abernathy, in a somewhat anachronistic Hawaiian shirt, to several key scenes in the 1977 science fiction classic, including a Rebel Alliance briefing on the Death Star and the climactic attack on the moon-sized space station – complete with Abernathy piloting an X-wing fighter.

“Instead of scraping around inside the root, lasers gently clean out the canal with pulses of light,” Abernathy says as he destroys the Death Star. He then shows up in the throne room ceremony honoring the heroes of the attack.

The video even closes with a quick clip from the infamous “Star Wars Holiday Special.”

Abernathy, who has dental offices in Arkansas and Florida, has written five novels and contributes to radio talk shows across the U.S., reports the biography on his site.

Abernathy’s “Star Wars” video, posted Sept. 21, had been viewed more than 230,000 times on YouTube by Thursday morning. “The floss is strong with this one,” commented one poster. “I find your lack of oral hygiene disturbing,” posted another. Others, however, predicted an imminent “cease and desist” order from Lucasfilm, owner of the “Star Wars” copyright.

This story was originally published October 5, 2017 at 10:59 AM with the headline "No interest in root canals? This dentist’s ‘Star Wars’ video might change your mind."