This rather scary picture by artist Matthew Laznicka is taken from the cover of the most recent British Dental Journal. This dental magazine is running a series of covers depicting various instances where dentistry or teeth feature in literature.

This picture depicts Shakespeares historical play Richard the Third.

This play refers to the appearance of Richards teeth as a newborn as a portent for his future villainy.In the play, before he is killed by Richard, the saintly King Henry VI declares:

“Teeth hadst thou in thy head when thou wast born,to signify thou earnest to bite the world!”