Can You Make Real Ammunition Out Of Human Teeth? | MythBusters

The Mythbusters team tackles a macabre myth: the existence of a "tooth bullet" – a projectile made from human teeth that is supposedly accurate, lethal, and, most importantly, untraceable by forensic pathologists. The premise is that such a bullet would shatter on impact, leaving only fragments indistinguishable from the victim's own bone, thus obscuring the true cause of death.

Crafting the Dental Projectiles

The team begins by acquiring actual human teeth, donated by a dentist, including canines and molars. The challenge lies in adapting these biological materials to fit into various ammunition casings without compromising their structural integrity. Kari, Grant, and Tory each take on a different firearm: Kari works with a .38 special handgun round, Grant with a .308 rifle round, and Tory with a 12-gauge shotgun shell. Kari opts to retain as much of the hard enamel as possible for her handgun bullets, foregoing shaping for what she hopes will be maximum hardness. Grant, however, prioritizes aerodynamics for his rifle rounds, carefully grinding the edges of the teeth to fit snugly into the bullet jackets and sealing them with epoxy. Tory's approach for the shotgun is simpler: she replaces the lead shot with teeth, requiring no modification to the individual teeth themselves. In a creative deviation, Grant also prepares a "Plan B" – bullets crafted from cow bone, reasoning that bone, as a biological material, aligns with the spirit of the myth and can be more effectively shaped for aerodynamic accuracy.