Boston Celtics guard White appears to have lost a tooth as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at TD Garden. / David Butler II-Imagn Images
Derrick White admitted a simple truth after the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers Thursday: Sometimes you forget about a dentist appointment.
As Sixers guard Kelly Oubre went up for a floater, his elbow landed on White’s face, which sent teeth flying. Thursday wasn’t the first time White experienced a dental issue mid-game, as he chipped his front tooth during Game 5 of the NBA Finals last year. The Celtics went on to clinch their 18th NBA championship later that night—a small price for White to pay for his first NBA title.
It looks like poor Derrick White just lost another tooth pic.twitter.com/MuXvFp4K1t
— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) March 7, 2025
After the latest incident during Boston’s 123–105 win over Philly Thursday, White said the temporary teeth he had put in after the Finals were knocked out by Oubre. He said he was supposed to go in to get the temporaries replaced a couple of weeks ago, but pushed off the appointment.
Celtics big man Luke Kornet took the opportunity to remind everyone the importance of dental health, poking a bit of fun at White’s procrastination in the process.
“He was supposed to apparently go to the dentist two weeks ago and he missed that appointment,” Kornet said in a postgame interview. “And kids, that’s why you got to make sure you make those dentist appointments because you might get elbowed in the face and lose your teeth.”
White returned to the game after Celtics staffers glued his temporary teeth back together and gave him a mouthguard. One night after a career-high 41-point game, he got a reminder that he still has an important item on his to-do list. But now, he’s ready to make that appointment.
“Shoutout Boston Dental, I’ll see y’all tomorrow by the way,” he said to reporters after the game.
