Demon Dentist

David Walliams’s Demon Dentist is a 2013 middle grade novel that blends horror, fantasy, and comedy. A National Book Award winner in the Children’s Book of the Year category, Demon Dentist follows 12-year-old Alfie Griffith’s quest to catch the tooth snatcher, a mysterious force who takes the teeth that children leave beneath their pillows and leaves behind disturbing replacements. When Alfie suspects that the town’s terrifying new dentist, Miss Root, is directly involved in the tooth snatcher’s activities, he must find the courage to face her. The novel highlights themes of The Benefits of Teamwork in Facing Danger, Confronting Adversity Versus Running Away, and Changing One’s Mindset Following Growth and Maturation.

This guide refers to the 2016 edition from Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide include discussion of parent illness and death and bullying.

Plot Summary

The Prologue describes a mysterious and terrible force at work in an undisclosed town. When children place a tooth beneath their pillow at night, they expect a small treasure in return from the tooth fairy; instead, they wake to find a horrible replacement, like earwigs or a spider.

Twelve-and-a-half-year-old Alfred “Alfie” Griffith has not been to the dentist since he was six, when a difficult tooth extraction left him traumatized. He hides the dentist office’s notifications from his father, a kind man who used to work in the local coal mine until the coal dust impacted his health. Dad, a single parent, now uses a wheelchair and relies on Alfie to care for him and their home. This is a struggle for Alfie since they have no income, but he loves Dad deeply and never complains. Alfie used to enjoy Dad’s make-believe stories that feature the two of them as heroes in grand adventures, but lately, he feels like he is too old for the tales since monsters and other fantastical creatures do not exist.

Alfie attends a career assembly at school featuring the new dentist in town, Miss Root. She is dressed in white and has perfect teeth. She offers sugar-free candy to all the students, who grab it greedily. Miss Root tells Alfie that he must come in for an appointment very soon since his teeth are in such terrible shape. Alfie and Gabz, a girl whom many dismiss as quiet, do not trust Miss Root. Walking home, Alfie discovers that Miss Root’s toothpaste sample eats through the surface of the road.

That afternoon, Winnie, a social worker, visits Alfie’s home. Alfie learns by eavesdropping that Dad fell recently, prompting his decision to seek social services’ help in supervising Alfie. Dad’s request for help from this outsider causes Alfie to realize that his father will not get better. Alfie finds Winnie insufferable and hopes that she will not return.

Gabz shares with Alfie a mystery that she discovered. Some unknown figure is leaving strange and terrible replacements for fallen-out teeth when children leave them beneath their pillows for the tooth fairy. She shows Alfie a map of all the houses in town where children found the perpetrator’s awful replacements, such as live centipedes and a filthy bandage. Alfie and Gabz attempt to tell the police about this tooth snatcher, but Police Constable Plank does not believe them.

Winnie returns to the Griffith home and announces that she made Alfie a dentist appointment with Miss Root for the next day. Alfie plots many ways to avoid the appointment, but when the time comes, he sees Winnie outside his school, waiting to take him to the dentist. Alfie attempts to flee from Winnie, who pursues him through the school’s interior on her moped. The pursuit disrupts classes, and as Alfie flees into the streets, teachers, students, and staff join the chase. Alfie inadvertently ends up in Miss Root’s office, where she pulls every one of Alfie’s teeth. Alfie runs to Raj’s newsstand after the appointment, and Raj gives Alfie his late wife’s dentures. Alfie works on a plan to catch the tooth snatcher, whom he believes is connected somehow to Miss Root. They pull a tooth from Raj, and Alfie places it beneath his pillow that night, lying in wait for the tooth snatcher.

Raj sneaks into Alfie’s room, too scared to stay home alone. They discover that the tooth snatcher left a crawling eyeball beneath Alfie’s pillow—despite him staying awake. Dad awakens, and Alfie fills him in; Dad realizes that the tooth snatcher must have come in after Raj and is still in the room. Alfie discovers a creature beneath his bed, but it flies out the window on a strange cylindrical object.

Determined to question Miss Root, Alfie goes to her office early the next morning. He sees Miss Root fly in, riding the laughing gas tank from her office. He determines that she is both the tooth snatcher and a witch. Alfie sees Gabz enter Miss Root’s office and tries to go after her, but Winnie arrives unexpectedly and stops him. Winnie laughs at Alfie’s theory that Miss Root is a witch, but once Alfie shows her his missing teeth, she wants to help. Winnie and Alfie break through the dentist’s door together to rescue Gabz, but Miss Root reveals her witch’s fangs, announces that she is the Tooth Witch, and flies off with Gabz on the laughing gas tank.

The Tooth Witch takes Gabz to her lair in the old coal mine. Alfie and Winnie follow them on Winnie’s moped. There, despite Winnie’s warnings, Alfie uses the abandoned elevator cable to slide down into the dark. He discovers that everything in the witch’s lair is made from children’s teeth. The witch catches him and ties him up by his ankles and wrists next to Gabz; the two dangle above a bubbling cauldron of the witch’s caustic, flesh-eating toothpaste. Just before she loosens Alfie’s last restraint to drop him in, Dad appears, having been called by Winnie.

Dad steers an old coal train, knocking the witch into the cauldron. Gabz grabs Alfie as he falls and swings him clear. The witch, now a skeleton, chases them. Dad, Gabz, and Alfie attempt to blast dynamite to crush the witch in a cave-in, but she still follows. She clings to the elevator as they ride it to the surface. Once above ground, Alfie sees the town gathered; everyone is horrified to see the skeleton witch, who threatens to kill and eat all the children, bones and all. Dad releases the elevator once Gabz and Alfie are safely out; the elevator drops to the bottom of the shaft in a crash that is fatal to Dad and the witch.

Alfie grieves Dad’s death. Now that he sees how caring and devoted Winnie is, Alfie is happy when she adopts him. A year later, Gabz is Alfie’s girlfriend. Winnie and Raj marry, and Alfie looks forward to finding happiness with those who love and care for him.