Board mulls whether the dead need licensed dentist
Maybe you never thought your teeth would be worked on by a dentist after you’ve died. Well, think again.
Jim Bob Humphrey will appear before the embalmers board to update them on the status of his request to build a crematorium next to an Elementary next month. But Humphrey is also seeking permission from Arkansas Board of Dental Examiners to become the first ever to remove mercury from teeth of people set to be cremated. Humphrey has presented his case to the Arkansas Board of Dental Examiners, who are flummoxed as to whether or not Humphrey would need to hire a dentist to conduct the mercury procedure, or if Humphrey, CEO of Humphrey Funeral Service, can do it himself.
Parents of children who attend the elementary next to where the crematorium is set to be built have also raised concerns if the crematorium will be a health hazard due to mercury being in the air after a body has been embalmed.
Humphrey has intimated that he wants to make sure he is doing the right thing, and is listening to parents’ worries, “If I say to this group of parents I don’t care what you think, I don’t care what you say, I’m going to do this. Regardless of the fact that you believe that it might be potentially harmful to your children. I believe that is inconsistent with me. With my view of what I do every day,” said Humphrey.
According to a spokesman for the Board, there has been no final decision yet as to whether or not Humphrey needs a dentist to remove mercury from a corpse’s tooth.
