Apollonia the patron Saint of dentistry
b. in Egypt in the 3rd century she died in the year 249. She was tortured having all her teeth knocked out and then was threatened to be burned to death but rather than renounce her faith she jumped in to the fire on her own accord burning to death. St. Augustine adamantly defended as an act of heroic faith and not suicide, which would not be saintly. She is considered the patron of dental diseases and is often invoked by those with toothaches. Ancient art depicts her with a golden tooth at the end of her necklace. Also in art, she is seen with a pincers holding a tooth. Parts of her jaw and many of her teeth are presently housed in churches across Europe.
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