Larry Gross, the Slacker Hippie Dentist


Hippies need dentists too, and back in 1973, Larry Gross (pictured) was their man. He lived in a house in Mt. Vernon, Maine without electricity, running water, or central heat. His dental office was a converted cow shed.

He was reportedly a good dentist, except for one problem. He often forgot appointments and wasn't there when patients showed up. Because keeping to a schedule was "such a hassle, man." From the Bangor Daily News, Mar 26, 1973:

With Dr. Gross, it's usually the dentist who breaks the appointment. It's not too unusual to see patients standing in the knee-deep snow in the farmhouse yard, waiting for him to show up for the appointment.
"It's such a hassle, man, trying to get back into some kind of schedule," he said...
Larry, 31, likes doing something that people need, and charging low prices for his services. It is the schedule, the hours that he has trouble with.
"You know, one of the teachers brought up 15 kids for dental work yesterday, and I wasn't here. I just forgot all about it. I really felt terrible."
     Posted By: Alex - Wed Sep 26, 2012
     Category: Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers | 1970s





Comments
Hippy Dentist, That's better than a HIPPY DENTAL PATIENT! :coolsmile:
Posted by Tyrusguy on 09/26/12 at 11:17 AM
I fully understand!
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 09/26/12 at 12:13 PM
When I was young and just a bad little kid
My momma noticed funny things I did
Like shootin' puppies with a B B gun
I'd poison guppies, and when I was done
I'd find a pussy cat and bash its head
That's when my momma said

She said "My boy, I think someday
You'll find a way to make your natural tendencies pay"
You'll be a dentist
You have a talent for causing things pain
Son, be a dentist
People will pay you to be inhumane
Posted by KDP on 09/26/12 at 12:56 PM
He could have at least added on a waiting room with some pre-rolled spliffs and a bong :coolsmile:
Posted by BrokeDad in Midwest US on 09/26/12 at 01:54 PM
I misread every instance of "hippy' as "hippo" and was confused about why there were hippodrome in Maine, standing in the snow. Then I reread it.
Posted by Mchale on 09/26/12 at 04:24 PM
KDP that reminds me of the dentist in Little Shop of Horrors! :lol:
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 09/26/12 at 10:58 PM
The first dentists were barbers. I know this because I read it in an English comic book, probably around 1973. Anyway, the first hippy dentist NEEDED a barber. Get it?! Huh?! Also, I think the girl in the glasses is cute, even though I was only 7 at the time I would've had a crush on her then. I couldn't help myself I dug the older, nerdy, chicks then as I do now. I could use a good dentist now too. They don't haff to be a hippy or a barber, just someone that knows what they're doing.
Posted by Duncan on 09/27/12 at 01:59 AM
Good and the old information!! but the dentist is horror!!
Posted by Dental on 10/01/12 at 06:57 AM
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