Adrian Kempe made it to his fourth year at the game's highest level before losing a tooth to hockey. That's highly unusual in this rough-and-tumble sport. Unfazed, Kempe swallowed the tooth when it happened.
Kings television reporter Carrlyn Bathe said during LA's game Thursday that Kempe, 23, lost the tooth Oct. 15 when a puck hit him in the mouth during the team's 2-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
HE SWALLOWED HIS TOOTH?!
— LA Kings (@LAKings) October 18, 2019
Maybe the Tooth Fairy just Venmo @adriankempe... 🦷🤓 pic.twitter.com/hniEFucTud
He may not receive any money from the tooth fairy, but he did receive stitches, and while he won't be able to keep the tooth as a token of his achievement, Kempe will always have a horrifying story to pass along.
It is not clear how long it takes for the human body to digest a bone, but a group of scientists in 1994 conducted an experiment to discover the answer by swallowing shrew bones.
According to Smithsonian.com, "the scientists were shocked at the results (of missing bones after digestion), attributing the dissolved remains to the acidic, churning environment of the stomach." The experiment did not establish a definitive timetable for digestion.
Kempe's tooth appeared in the first 193 games of the NHL veteran's career, all with the Kings.