Dentists

A dentist is a professional medical practitioner in the Muggle world who specializes in dentistry—the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. Within the context of the wizarding world, the profession is largely a Muggle curiosity, viewed as a strange and unnecessarily complicated alternative to magical remedies for dental issues. The most significant and only named dentists in the series are the parents of Hermione Granger, whose profession serves to ground her firmly in her Muggle heritage and provides a point of contrast with the magical community.

The concept of dentists is introduced early in the series through the background of Hermione Granger. Her parents are established as respected professionals in the Muggle world, a fact she shares with her friends. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Mr. and Mrs. Granger accompany Hermione to Diagon Alley to purchase her school supplies. While there, they meet Harry Potter and the Weasley family. Arthur Weasley, fascinated by all things Muggle, engages them in an enthusiastic conversation about their profession, asking about the purpose of dental drills and “plugs.” The Grangers are also seen capably navigating the wizarding economy, exchanging Muggle money for wizarding currency at Gringotts. The profession of Hermione's parents becomes a critical plot point in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. To protect them from Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters during the Second Wizarding War, Hermione performs a powerful Memory Charm (Obliviate) on them. This charm erases their entire identities, including their memories of being dentists and having a daughter. She implants false memories, giving them new names—Wendell and Monica Wilkins—and a lifelong ambition to move to Australia, which they promptly do. This act demonstrates Hermione's profound love for her parents and the immense sacrifices she is willing to make. After the war, Hermione located her parents in Australia and properly restored their memories.

As a Muggle profession, there is no specific physical appearance associated with dentists. The only known dentists, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, are described as looking “quite ordinary” and dressing sensibly. From the perspective of the wizarding world, the profession's “personality” is one of bizarre, invasive procedures. Arthur Weasley's questions imply a view of dentistry as a somewhat barbaric practice involving prodding teeth with metal objects. However, the Grangers themselves are portrayed as intelligent, kind, and supportive parents who are proud of their work, even if it is completely foreign to the magical world their daughter inhabits.

Dentists are Muggle professionals and as such, possess no magical abilities. Their skills are based on Muggle science and medicine. This stands in stark contrast to magical solutions for dental and other physiological problems. For example, after being hexed by Draco Malfoy, Hermione's already large front teeth grow to an absurd length. Madam Pomfrey is able to shrink them, and Hermione allows the spell to reduce them to a neater, smaller size than they were originally. Potions like Skele-Gro can regrow entire bones overnight, suggesting that similar magical remedies for dental ailments would make Muggle dentistry entirely redundant for wizards and witches.

The key possessions associated with dentists are their professional tools. While not seen directly, these items are a source of great interest for Arthur Weasley, who specifically asks about the function of dental drills and the nature of fillings, which he calls “plugs.”

• With the Muggle World: Dentistry is a necessary and respected medical profession, essential for the health and well-being of non-magical people.
• With the Wizarding World: The profession is a complete novelty and is generally misunderstood. For wizards like Arthur Weasley, it is a fascinating example of Muggle ingenuity in the absence of magic. For others, it likely seems primitive. The existence of dentists highlights the cultural and technological gap between the two worlds.
• With Hermione Granger: Her parents' profession is a fundamental part of her identity, representing her Muggle roots. Despite being the brightest witch of her age, she comes from a world of science and logic, which often informs her approach to magic.

The word dentist is derived from the Latin word dens (genitive: dentis), meaning “tooth.” The French word for “tooth” is dent, from which the term dentiste originated and later entered the English language.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Mr. and Mrs. Granger are portrayed by actors Ian Kelly and Michelle Fairley, respectively.
• The aliases Hermione gives her parents, Wendell and Monica Wilkins, are mentioned only in the film and do not appear in the original novel (film).
• J.K. Rowling confirmed in a web chat after the publication of the final book that Hermione did successfully find her parents after the Second Wizarding War and lift the Memory Charm, fully restoring their memories and their lives (J.K. Rowling interview).