Radio signals in teeth fillings?

Iamme

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I was just talking to a friend about syncronicity and people receiving 'signals' at the same time, and he mentioned about how people on short wave radio can pick up signals from all over the world. Whether or not you actually have a receiver or transmitter...those signals are there, probably going through you all the time.

Then I said to him about this myth? (or is it true?), how people have received radio stations through their teeth fillings, or plates they had put in their skulls, etc.

Does anyone here know anything about this?
 
I've heard about it, never heard it.

All it takes to receive AM radio is an antenna and rectification... the theory is that the combination of fillings, teeth, and mouth chemistry produces a rectifier. The jaw transmits any sound/pressure directly to the eardrum.
 
It's true. I know because it happened to Gilligan once. The Skipper accidently hit Gilligan in the head and jarred his filling in such a way that radio broadcasts were heard. The Professor deduced that another whack in the head would turn it off (the radio was keeping the Skipper awake at night). Then the real radio went on the fritz. Hilarity ensued.
 
It's true, it was on an episode of The Partridge Family. Laurie kept hearing music. I think it was a Rolling Stone's song. Turns out that she was receiving the radio on her braces! The ortho fixed her right up!

Thank Goodness, because Laurie was having a hard time playing the keyboard while listening to the Rolling Stones. It was potential Partridge Family disaster. Shirley was having a hard enough time being a single mother to five kids, even with the help of the crabby Reuben- who spent far too much time at the Partridge house if you ask me.
 
Mythbusters just did a segment on this one. Not that I understand the electronics/physics involved completely, but they were unable to generate any current from two different metal fillings (gold and mercury-silver amalgam) in a skull. Declared this a myth (and showed a clip of Lucille Ball making this claim on a talk show - what a kook). They were, however, able to generate small amounts of current in an acidic environment, which they said could have resulted in hearing tiny popping sounds.
 
BTox said:
(and showed a clip of Lucille Ball making this claim on a talk show - what a kook).
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Oh brother.

Lucille Ball was first and foremost a comedian and an entertainer. It isn't clear that she was actually make a serious claim, or just goofing around.
 
T'ai Chi said:


Oh brother.

Lucille Ball was first and foremost a comedian and an entertainer. It isn't clear that she was actually make a serious claim, or just goofing around.
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Didn't sound like she was goofing around to me. And she also (seriously) made this ridiculous claim about finding a Japanese spy radio station during WWII. El kooko supremo.
 
BTox said:
Mythbusters just did a segment on this one. Not that I understand the electronics/physics involved completely, but they were unable to generate any current from two different metal fillings (gold and mercury-silver amalgam) in a skull. Declared this a myth (and showed a clip of Lucille Ball making this claim on a talk show - what a kook). They were, however, able to generate small amounts of current in an acidic environment, which they said could have resulted in hearing tiny popping sounds.
Click to expand...

This is the worst "Myth Busted" segment I've seen so far. Completely un-thorough.

Just 2 filling types ? Did they even consult a dentist ? What are these white things in my mouth - not gold, not silver amalgam ?

They tested the most common types of fillings... if something did happen with these 2 types then practically everyone would be hearing something. They should have at least done some research into materials used... and how about getting Lucy's dental records ?

The dude with "20 years experience" isn't someone I would trust. In fact, every time I hear that phrase, I substitute "I don't know what I'm talking about". Any idea what antenna sizes are required for propagation to occur ? (snicker). There are actual rooms at test facilities for doing this work. A phone booth sized room is not even close. Comparing the power output of that desktop equipment to the transmitters used for broadcast radio is quite a stretch.
 
mort said:
The Straight Dope had an article about this a while ago. It can be found here

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_057.html
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From the mouth (or at least the keyboard) of Cecil Adams:

"We know that (1) radiators, faucets, etc., (but not, it is generally thought, silver tooth fillings) can act as radio receivers under certain conditions;"

:eek: Radiators and faucets can act as full-blown radio receivers?! Not merely antennas, but receivers? With demodulating rectification and all that?!
 
teddygrahams said:

This is the worst "Myth Busted" segment I've seen so far. Completely un-thorough.
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Personally, I didn't like when they shot pennies at themselves. That was pretty dangerous in my opinion, even if the pennies couldn't penetrate skin.
 
teddygrahams said:


This is the worst "Myth Busted" segment I've seen so far. Completely un-thorough.

Just 2 filling types ? Did they even consult a dentist ? What are these white things in my mouth - not gold, not silver amalgam ?

They tested the most common types of fillings... if something did happen with these 2 types then practically everyone would be hearing something. They should have at least done some research into materials used... and how about getting Lucy's dental records ?
Click to expand...

None of them are completely thorough. Regarding fillings, there are only two types of exposed metals used in dental work, silver amalgam and gold. The white ones you have would be polymeric resin.
 
T'ai Chi said:


Personally, I didn't like when they shot pennies at themselves. That was pretty dangerous in my opinion, even if the pennies couldn't penetrate skin.
Click to expand...

I thought that was a dramatic way of conclusively demonstrating that a penny falling from a high building is not lethal.
 
I know. Not lethal, sure. But that isn't the same as not dangerous.

I just hope no kid will try and recreate shooting pennies at each other at high speeds and f-up.

I'd wager that hitting the fleshy part of your hand results in quite different feelings compared to hitting a knuckle by accident, or an eye, or the back of a person's head, etc., and I doubt a modified penny shooter has super accuracy.
 
Hmm, I have no fillings. My husband and kids do though. They never hear the radio unless it is on.

My mom on the other hand...didn't need anything to hear what people were saying 10 feet ahead of her. It's funny how all people talked about her. Even when I heard what people were saying, it wasn't what my mom heard them saying. I could never tell her that without getting in trouble though. So I tuned her out and listened to anything else.

Hmm, guess that commandment was broke, cause obeying my parent woulda made me a hermit living in her basement all my life, with only her to talk to. Damn me to hell.
 
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