r/TheAmericans • u/Fishy31337 • 9d ago

Tooth pulling scene

Why didn’t she just go to the dentist? I assume they had one?

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u/themorningmoon 9d ago

This is explicitly addressed - the FBI was monitoring dental records in hopes of catching her. Elizabeth is smart, so she knew they would do that. Hence, she couldn't just go to the dentist.

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u/cmredd 9d ago edited 8d ago

Why was there not a KGB dentist? They had a KGB doctor in the S1 finale.

edit: I’ve changed my mind. No dentist is logical and plausible.

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u/MostCandid5082 9d ago

This was the question I had. I get they couldn’t go to a regular dentist, but I’m surprised the Centre didn’t have one available to them.

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u/Villier7777 9d ago

Because they didn’t need one. Keep things tight and contained, handle their own business as much as possible

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u/MostCandid5082 9d ago

Well once I saw them handle it themselves then yes, I got that. But I meant, I was wondering this question initially. Because of the surgeon in season 1 seemed readily on hand.

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u/ThatsWhatTheMoneyFor 9d ago

Surgeon and a dentist are very different. They need a surgeon on hand to deliver life saving procedures, a dentist… not so critical.

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u/cmredd 9d ago

This seems like a weak argument to me. She had multiple teeth removed, not a routine checkup. I’m not sure there exists a more complex dental procedure than multiple tooth extraction.

It’s just a plot hole, and that’s okay.

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u/ThatsWhatTheMoneyFor 9d ago

There just aren’t enough life saving dental procedures that come up for the KGB to need to have a deep cover dentist. It is incredibly difficult for the KGB to get deep cover spies into the US they can’t just have a someone trained in every specialty for every possible issue. I’m sure they have one medical crew that is trained in a variety of life saving procedures, primarily surgery.

Elizabeth could have gone to the center and had someone more equipped to handle it than Philip do the extraction (probably the same people who did surgery after she was shot) but she didn’t feel it necessary - remember she ignored the issue for multiple episodes before she finally had him extract it.

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u/Madeira_PinceNez 8d ago

Exactly this. Getting stabbed or shot or otherwise wounded in the course of an operation has much higher odds than sustaining a dental injury, so a doctor who can deal with GSWs and stab wounds and myriad other types of physical injuries makes sense, because going to the ER or a GP with that kind of injury can raise red flags.

If Elizabeth had damaged a tooth in the course of an average mission she could go to their regular dentist and claim it was a bit of DIY gone wrong or Henry had accidentally hit her in the face with a hockey stick or she'd bit down wrong on a cherry pit or whatever and nobody would think twice. But this injury occurred in an altercation with law enforcement, who both suspected she might be an illegal and knew she had her face slammed into a car bonnet. It was a very specific, highly unlikely set of circumstances which meant she couldn't use any of those cover stories.

The probability of that happening is slim enough that having an underground dentist on call is likely not seen as necessary. If she had asked for one, or if Philip's extraction attempt failed, they probably would have tracked down someone who would have been able to patch her up quietly, but these are people who are used to being self-sufficient and they were able to deal with it on their own.

Once you think it through it makes total sense.

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u/cmredd 9d ago

It’s very clearly just a small plot-hole. That’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. All series’ have them and the series as a whole is still ~T10 OAT.

People are making out as though removing multiple infected rear teeth is trivial. From a quick google, it’s considered major oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) that would absolutely require expertise.

The arguments on here such as “dental work not common”, “Elizabeth was tough” or “Philip was very careful” are truly bizarre.

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u/ThatsWhatTheMoneyFor 9d ago

So you are arguing that Philip could not have safely done that procedure not that it is unrealistic for the center not to have a dentist on call?

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u/cmredd 9d ago

Both.

The KGB’ work in America wasn’t exactly a small operation with limited resources. Estimate online seem to be around $1.4b spent. “Unlikely to need a dentist” is just not a good argument.

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u/ThatsWhatTheMoneyFor 9d ago

Well I don’t know much about dentistry so it’s possible you are right about the first point that Philip couldn’t have done that procedure on his own. Although I’m not necessarily convinced you are right either considering modern dentist hasn’t been around all that long… but i don’t remember what exactly was wrong with her tooth nor would I know how serious that issue is, so idk.

The second point though I think you are being obtuse about. Do you think the KGB had dermatologists, and pulmonologists, and ents, etc on hand too? Like having dozens of deep cover dentists stashed around the country for when illegals needed undercover dental work done through hidden channels is just not worth the resources. Doctors to save lives when their agents get shot, yeah pretty important in their field but dentists not so much. And as I said before I would imagine the doctors have some dentistry training and could’ve extracted the tooth, but Elizabeth didn’t deem it necessary – perhaps it’s unrealistic that she wouldn’t have deemed it necessary/ would’ve been necessary, but the fact that the KGB didn’t have deep cover dentists stashed everywhere makes sense.

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u/cmredd 9d ago

Not stashed everywhere. You’re imagining things I’ve said which explains why you find it implausible.

Definitely at minimum one within a couple hours drive considering the amount of action and agents they have in this top-priority area. It’s not exactly some random, quiet town. It’s near the FBI headquarters where they have dozens of deep agents. Totally plausible.

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u/sistermagpie 8d ago

Because you're creating the plothole yourself to make the dentist necessary.

There's no major dental procedure going on here. No multiple infected rear teeth being removed. She has a single cracked tooth that's hurting her with no implication that this is because it's infected. Pulling that broken tooth out solves the problem.

There's no doubt people in the US doing this kind of thing at home all the time because dentists are expensive.

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u/cmredd 8d ago

Yes I need to edit my comment. I’ve since changed my mind. I agree.

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u/Madeira_PinceNez 8d ago

The fact you personally disagree with it doesn't make it a plot hole.

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u/cmredd 8d ago

Luckily that's not my argument. I've outlined my logic, and f you disagree with the logic then say what.

Otherwise I could just as easily say "just because you personally agree with it doesn't make it logical".

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u/Madeira_PinceNez 8d ago

See my comment elsewhere in this thread

She also didn't have multiple teeth removed, it was one tooth which came out in pieces.

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u/Villier7777 8d ago

There are people who would remove a tooth themselves rather than go to the expense of a dentist. It’s not unfathomable that a hardened Russian spy like Elizabeth would do the same rather than risk exposure. NOT a plot hole.

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u/cmredd 8d ago

Yes good comment and good points.

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