“Pull a tooth…with pliers?”
So where do you think Jake got the idea to pull his own tooth with pliers? From his dad of course! Read the story below. It’s an excerpt from Discovery’s new book, Deadliest Catch Desperate Hours and there’s alot of Phil Harris in it! In the book, Capt. Phil tells lots of stories as do the other skippers and deckhands. Keep in mind these tales span a lifetime of fishing and may have taken place last year or twenty years ago. This is a good one….
–Captain Phil Harris
The day before we were leaving for king crab season, I had an abscessed tooth, and it was just driving me nuts. There’s no dentist in Dutch Harbor, and at that time there wasn’t even a doctor. There was an EMT. And he goes, “Hey look, I can’t pull a tooth. I don’t have the anesthesia, the equipment, the staff.”
I said, “You got a pair of pliers? You gotta get the mother out of my mouth, man. It’s just driving me nuts.”
So I was sitting in a chair with two of the biggest guys on the boat holding me down. And this guy goes in with just a regular pair of hardware store pliers, and he’s trying to pull my molar. And he ends up breaking it off. There’s no novocaine, no drugs, no anything. I’m wide awake and sober. Now there’s blood everwhere, and there’s just a chunk of tooth stkicking out, not enough for him to grab. We’re in a pickle.
So now he gets a regular claw hammer and a chisel–a regular cold chisel you use to cut metal, not a surgical instrument by any means. What he hoped to do was get down to the gum line, and give it a real good whack, and hope the tooth broke in pieces that he could grab with a pair of needle nose pliers.
I mean, that was about as painful as you can get. I’ve done alot of things that were painful, and I can take pain with best of them, but that was almost more than I could stand. There was blood pouring out of me. The guys on either side, they’re puking–they’re holding me, turning around, and throwing up on the floor, turning back, and holding me some more. I’m just to the point of passing out. And he’s whacking me over and over. He pulled out a couple chunks, but there was a big bunch in there that he couldn’t get out so I went fishing like that.
After we made the first trip it was all I could take, so we made arrangements in Anchorage to fly a guy in–some sort of surgeon. the guy’s name, I never will forget, was Luther Paine. They knocked me out, pulled everything out, and I was back on an airplane a day later. And in retrospect I should have done that in the first place.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
If it hurt that much then why’d ya try to make Jake pull his tooth, Phil?
April 18th, 2008 at 10:56 am
So glad you guys are back!!!!!! I’m driving my family nuts watching all the reruns, and they know they better than to talk to me on tuesday nights. Been a fan since day one.
Hey Bill…Didn’t get invited to the party? Sorry about your luck. DC obviously knew which captains to choose. I’m sure Phil is just as suprised as anyone that he has become the fan favorite and “poster child” for the show.(Hes my favorite too!!!) Your sniping reminds me of a middle school girl.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
guys I forgot to mention be safe and have a great crab season.god bless you all.
April 16th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Hi captain phil,
I watch the show all the time and I,ve got to tell you man the c.marie,nothwestren,and rollo and time bandit are my favorites.I know about abcess teeth and believe me even as much pain as i was in would not pull my tooth that way as you do.I have to say i like the way you and your crew welded the crab pots
together,can’t remeber the captains name but anyways i thought it was as funny as hell.
April 16th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
chance sry
April 16th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Love watching you guys, and I am not a younger person. My Son got me hooked (lol) so to speak on your show. Would have loved the chang to board on a trip out to sea and do the cooking for you all. (used to cook for a living.) Keep up the good work and GOD speed in all your catches. A faithful watcher.
April 16th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Sounds like Bill, needs to let the past go. Little bitter?
April 15th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Phil, I can see right through you. You are a good father with what appears to be two amazing hard working sons. I’ve watched your show from day one. While living in Louisiana all my life, I grew up on the water and have lived always a stones throw away from our fishing fleet. Although their jobs were by no means any comparison to yours, they were always very hard working men that loved their families and what they did for a living. We lost most of our fisherman, as they lost their homes, boats and restaurants. Watching you guys will hopefully give them the drive to get back to what they loved. Thank you for giving the world the opportunity to appreciate your hard/dangerous work. You are all heros in my eyes. Take care of you and yours. Be safe and always be true to yourself.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Captain and crew of the Cornelia Marie:
Don’t know how you do it….I’d just freeze to death when the first wave hit me! I do love to watch the show, though. Captain Phil: Keep the boys in line, they wouldn’t be there with you if they didn’t know what they were in for! (I’ve got 5 boys myself….and 3 girls! Most are adults and on they’re own….thank goodness). Stay safe!
April 15th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Hey phil I feel ya been there budy, I just retired after 30 in the fire service. one day I sitting in the station house and I had a bad tooth that needed to be pulled so just when I thought I couldn’t handle it any more the alarm went off and the pain subsided some what, well as it turn out it was a big fire with no off time in site, It was ok the frist day however the second it was killing me I meen f—in hurtin I didn’t know what to do and we were way in middle of BF.no where, so I was looking in all compartments of the fire truck for some pliers while we had some down in fire camp I couldn’t sleep with this dam thing and wouldn’t know it nothing, however I found a 1/2” round by 3” pice of wood trying to figure what I was going to do with it, I started to push on the tooth oh man it hurt like hell so I desided to put the stick on the tooth and hit it with a 2 1/2” female hose coupling I woke up half the fire camp when I screemed LOL, I wouldn’t that again if you paid me but the tooth was out man I bleeding like suck pig lol.
Ps Love the show the C.M. is one of my faverite boats watch, tell jake to stop spending so much money lol.
Mike
April 15th, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Hey phil thanks for dumping pots next 2 us 2 years ago for red crab season and making me stay through xmas and new years to get our quota
Must be nice to be a real radio fisherman, oh yeah your a movie star now not a real crabber
April 15th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Hey guys! Both my grandfathers were lobster fishermen in Stonington, CT back in the day. I’m totally addicted to watching you guys on DCatch and admire all the hard work you put in. When it’s in your blood, there’s no stopping the rush! Go get em. Here’s to a safe season.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Ok out of the deadliest Catch show we need to see who the single guys are what captains are single and the workers also, I and my girlfreinds are addicted to the show and we never miss it even if it is a rerun. We need more picts.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:00 am
It’s no better at a dentist’s with novacaine if you’re immune to the stuff! I spent 2 hours in the dentist chair with 7 times the amount she should have given me feeling every tweek. In the end she was so paranoid of hurting me I just took the pliers (or whatever the term is in dentistry) and pulled the last of the 3 bits, she’d broken it into, out myself. I came home, drugged myself up with codeine and watched the Deadliest Catch episode I’d recorded the night before and it just so happened to be the one with Jake pulling his tooth - I felt for him, laughed then took some more painkillers! Keep up the good work, pity we can’t benefit from the bounty here in Blighty!
April 14th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
sorry i ment pull
April 14th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Hey jake it dosent heart after you full it out i had to pull mine out because i was on a fishing trip and it was a desater
April 14th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Hi Capt’n Phil! I just wanted to say that I am completely addicted to “The Deadliest Catch” - watched the whole marathon this weekend and can’t wait until tomorrow night’s new season opener!
I’m not a fisherman, not a seafaring type person at all - but I have the utmost respect for the hard work you and all of the crew do! You rock my socks! (lol) Keep up the great work and may you all have a safe and prosperous season!
April 14th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I think for you to avoid this in the future, you and the crew of the Corneilia Marie need to have all teeth pulled so this doesn’t happen again! haha
I could just feel that cold sea air going into that hole right now. Pain…pain…pain.. you must have been a pleasure to be stuck at sea with…hahah
I can never tell my Jersey Blue Crab stories anymore. My fishing just doesn’t compare anymore. I guess nobody wants to hear about New Jersey or the Hudson River. No but seriously, I hope you and all the guys are always kept safe by the grace of God. Thank you all so much for bringing a bit of laughter and being able to live vicariously through you. I love Alaska, been there. Please… please take care of Jake and Josh, they are such smart asses, remind me of my nephews, real boys turning into men. Invinsible. Please stay strong out there and safe. Looks like fun, hardwork, mechanical and dangerous. Please take care. See you soon on Discovery.
April 14th, 2008 at 5:43 am
I had the same problem but not with a molar
April 14th, 2008 at 2:13 am
I’ve heard this kind story before from a relative, thank God for the dentist and anesthesia!!!!!
But when you’re in pain you’ll do anything……………
April 13th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
HAHAHA! Capt’n Phil… I gotta tell ya dude, you got some cahonnas haha.
April 13th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Wow Capt. Phil…. that sounds like it hurt! Your a bigger man than I…. don’t think I could take that kind of pain. I dunno if you read the comments on here or not, but if so, Wanted to tell you your my favorite Captain on Deadliest Catch. Be safe out there. - Russ
April 13th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
O.K. The trick is to get under the root to lift it! Then you can use needle nose pliers, dang men. Alaska back then had NOTHING: we got puppies but when they got parvo we had to shoot them because there was no vet, not cool but that’s how it was.
April 13th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
JFK Capt’n.. I’ve gone after a molar more then once but bro that tale just put a pucker factor of +6 on! You’re hard as nails bro but I guess you knew that, lol.