Demon Dentist is 2013 children's book written by David Walliams. It is about a boy called Alfie who has really bad teeth (he has refused to go to the dentist after a terrible incident that happened to him years ago), who lives with his father in a very poor house. The two of them have to cope with having no money, no food, no heating and no electricity. Meanwhile, the kids all over town are finding horrible disgusting things underneath their pillows. Alfie suspects that maybe the new dentist, Miss Root is probably behind this.
This is the sixth entry to David Walliams' "The World of Walliams" series.
Tropes include:
- Alliterative Title
- Big Eater: Winnie is the kind of lady who, when offered a slice of cake, looks like she would leave the slice and take the rest.
- Butt-Monkey: Poor Mr Grey gets trampled over by everyone in the school when they chase after Alfie. It doesn't help that he is painfully shy.
- Catchphrase: Mr Snood loves to say "IMPRO!"
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Texting Boy is never referred to by his real name, the book just calls him texting boy.
- Genius Ditz: Raj, who immediately helps Alfie upon learning that Ms. Root took out all his teeth and supplies him with coffee revels to help him stay awake while he tries to catch her in the act of replacing his (actually Raj's) tooth with a foul calling card.
- Happily Adopted: Winnie ultimately adopts Alfie after his dad makes a Last Request for her to look after him while he's on Death's doorstep.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Alfie's dad makes the elevator to the mines crash down carrying himself and Miss Root with it just so he could save Alfie and his friends.
- Jabba Table Manners: Winnie slurps her tea very loudly and snatches off peoples' food from them without asking.
- Large Ham: Mr Snood, the drama teacher.
- Laxative Prank: A variation. Winnie arrives at Alfie's house to tell his dad of the fiasco that was trying to get him to go to the dentist, which would no doubt land him in trouble. However, she spots a pack of Revels that Alfie has on him, which are exclusively coffee flavoured in order to keep him awake as he stays up at night to look for the tooth witch. After asking for one, she winds up taking another in order to rid her mouth of the taste of coffee, only for the next one to also be coffee until the entire bag is empty. Since coffee "goes right through" her, she winds up leaving the house in a hurry to use the toilet.
- Obviously Evil: Miss Root.
- Potty Emergency: Winnie claims that coffee goes straight through her. So When she eats Alfie's coffee Revels, this doesn't go too well with her.
- Punny Name: Mr Snood, Miss Root and Mr Grey.
- The Reveal: Miss Root is actually a witch that steals children's teeth so that she can build her own cave.
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: Alfie repeatedly has to emphasize this about Gabs.
- Some Call Me "Tim": Miss Root likes to be called "Mummy". Creepy, I know.
- Suddenly Shouting: Gabs, the new girl who has not been heard to say a single word, suddenly yells out in the middle of assembly for everyone to be quiet.
- The Tooth Hurts: Starting from the beginning, when Alfie's well-meaning but doddery dentist spends ages trying to pull out a tooth and ends up removing the wrong one, and then taken up to eleven when Miss Root pulls out all of Alfie's teeth.
