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'David After Dentist' is now all grown up after going viral as kid

Home> Entertainment

Published 15:10 27 Mar 2023 GMT+1

'David After Dentist' is now all grown up after going viral as kid

The iconic man behind the meme looks almost unrecognisable

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle

Anyone with a computer back in the late 2000s knows exactly who 'David at the Dentist' is.

What would have gone on to become one of the biggest memes of the era was posted by none other than David's very own father.

All recorded on a Flip video camera - how retro - the footage documented the seven-year-old's side-splitting reaction to anaesthesia. Watch below for a blast from the past:

One of David's most-famous one-liners from the loopy response was asking 'is this real life' while totally zonked.

The original caption read: "He had just had a tooth removed due to Hyperdontia or extra tooth. This was taken in the parking lot of the dentist office."

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David's dad went on to note that his son was 'so out of it', adding: "He is very smart and always has something interesting to say about many different issues. His philosophical reaction to the medication didn't really surprise us.

Little did he know, 'David at the Dentist' would go on to become a viral sensation.

The video - just a minute or so long - has since racked up 141 million views since it was first uploaded to YouTube a whole 14 years ago.

And now, nearly a decade and a half later, the man behind the meme is almost completely unrecognisable.

The video was first posted to YouTube back in 2009.
YouTube/booba1234

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David DeVore, now 22-years-old, is all grown up and is currently in his fourth year at the University of Florida studying computer science.

If that doesn't make you feel ancient then I don't know what will.

After all these years, the viral star has opened up some more about that fateful day and what his life has been like since he blew up online all those years ago.

He told the Daily Star: "Every once in a while someone will just recognise me from the video somehow.

"I have a baby face but I still look a lot different than I did in the video. But every few years, something crazy like that, someone is able to just somehow recognise me from when I was seven years old."

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David went on to call the meme-worthy moment the 'biggest blessing' adding: "There are nothing but positive experiences. We have gotten to do things, see things and go to places we never would have."

The man behind the meme looks totally unrecognisable.
Instagram/@daviddentist

He also revealed that he's had 'some of the most bizarre interactions with strangers' around the time the video was first uploaded.

While we now live in world of constant viral sensations on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter - it's clear that this wasn't always the way the internet worked, especially in the olden times of the 2000s.

David explained: "When it happened it was such a new thing and not only was it new in terms of the internet and the technology but I was only seven, eight, nine, ten.

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"So you can only comprehend so much. The video got three million views in three days but I couldn’t comprehend or understand how big of a deal that was," he continued.

Because of this, he revealed he was easily 'able to just go with the flow.'

"It didn’t become a bigger part of me than it was," he added.

"It didn’t become a bigger part of me than it was."
Instagram/@daviddentist

Speaking of the meme's timelessness, David explained: "On the face of it, it is a kid on drugs and it tickles people. You see adults and they are wasted or they are on drugs and you see videos of that all the time."

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"I was seven and coming out of surgery," he added. "But I just also think it was the raw emotion of it."

And they most definitely did.

The computer science student concluded: "I didn’t have the ability to withstand what I was feeling so it was raw and the anaesthesia they used on me was ketamine and that is illegal to use on seven year olds now.

"You can’t do that anymore."

Let's hope not.

Featured Image Credit: YouTube / booba1234 / Instagram / @daviddentist

Topics: Social Media, Viral, YouTube

Rhiannon Ingle
Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Senior Journalist at Tyla, specialising in TV, film, travel, and culture. A graduate of the University of Manchester with a degree in English Literature, she honed her editorial skills as the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the UK’s largest student newspaper. With a keen eye for storytelling, Rhiannon brings fresh perspectives to her writing, blending critical insight with an engaging style. Her work captures the intersection of entertainment and real-world experiences.

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