A Child’s Precise Description of a World You Can’t See
Introduction
A peculiar portrayal of the real world
David After Dentist has become one of the top viral videos in YouTube’s history. Google’s front page even features a dedicated section for its introduction.
In 2008, David DeVore Sr., after his son David’s dental surgery, uploaded a video on YouTube. In the video, David, a 7-year-old boy recently discharged from the dentist due to a tooth surgery and still under the influence of anesthesia, engages in a conversation with his father. To date, this video has garnered over 142 million views on YouTube(in 2024) and 12 thousand views on Facebook.
The Viral Original Video
Video Story
David’s first-hand account of his dental experience in his own words
On the way home from the dentist, with his mother absent at that moment, David’s father decides to record a video capturing David’s first experience and his feelings about the event to share with the rest of the family.
In the video, David, disoriented and confused due to the effects of anesthesia, sits in the car and asks his father questions like:
- Are we in real life?
- Is this going to last forever?
- He also tells his father, “I have two fingers.”
*The questions David asks are a result of double vision and eye blurriness caused by the anesthesia.
Seven months later, David’s father uploads the video on Facebook, and he is surprised by the high number of views. He decides to upload the video on YouTube, and what happens next is astonishing – the video reaches 3 million views in just 3 days.
Being Partner with YouTube
And the economic aspect of a video going viral on YouTube
Soon after, the DeVore family partnered with YouTube, granting them the right to display ads at the beginning of their shared videos in exchange for compensation. By the time the video reached 28 million views, the DeVore family had earned an income of $25,000 from the “David After Dentist” video. By June 2010, this video had generated an income of $150,000.
They also sold T-shirts featuring the image from the “David After Dentist” video and donated a portion of their earnings to dental charities.
Joy in the Style of the Video
News of acceptance to the University of Florida in the style of the viral video
David’s acceptance to the University of Florida was announced in the style of a video on his Instagram page. To view it on Instagram, click here.
Fringes
David After Dentist in Film, TV Shows and Animations
News of this video has been published on sites like The Washington Post and CNN. Additionally,
The DeVore family was invited to TV and news programs such as The O’Reilly Factor, Tyra Banks Show, Today Show
Impact of the Video on Cinema
The “David After Dentist” video has been referenced in some programs and series:
My Name is Earl
“David After Dentist” was referenced on My Name is Earl in May 2009.
The animated series The Cleveland Show
Episode 19 of the first season of The Cleveland Show
Rallo, a 5-year-old character in the animation, begins to say these sentences:
What is happening? Is this real life? Is it going to last forever?
Gee Series
In the second episode of Season 2 of the Glee series, Rachel says after her dental appointment: Is this real life?
NEW GIRL series
In the fourth episode of Season 1 of the NEW GIRL series, aired in November 2011, Winston is looking for important events lost in American history during the 2 years he spent in Lithuania. The “David After Dentist” video and “The King’s Speech” movie are on his list.
Imitation of Justin Bieber
A video of our son Justin Bieber after he left the dentist. 😂
TV invitation
invitation of David and his father after several years on the Harry TV show
Image of the DeVore Family
Mr. DeVore received some criticism for exploiting his son for fame. He acknowledges these concerns but maintains his innocence, stating that this experience was good for his family.
David in 2024
Nearly 15 years after going viral
David DeVore Jr., known as “David After Dentist” after a video of him as a child went viral, is now 22 years old and studying computer science in college. Reporting for TODAY, NBC’s Joe Fryer sits down with David and his father to talk about one of the earliest popular videos online and how it changed their lives.
