Texas Representative Louis Gohmert was speaking at the House Freedom Caucus press conference when he appears to lose a tooth in the middle of his speech. Video of the incident was shared on Twitter and quickly went viral on December 8.
Gohmert, 67, who’s served as a Republican representative from Texas’ 1st District since 2005, was heavily trolled on Twitter following the incident. Pod Save America tweeted, “New rule: If a piece of you falls off in public, you automatically relinquish your seat.” — @sarahclazarus.”
A slow-motion version of the disturbing incident was also shared on Twitter. One person commented, “OMG! Did you see how black it was at the root? It literally rotted out of him. Yikes!”
A few viewers felt sick after watching the viral video. One person tweeted, “My “teeth falling out” nightmare come to life. I just lost my lunch.”
The full video of Tuesday’s presser is posted above. Gohmert starts speaking around the 7:30 mark.
Gohmert Had Coronavirus In July & People Infected With COVID-19 Have Reported Their Teeth Falling Out
On July 29, Gohmert revealed he had tested positive for coronavirus during a pre-screening at The White House before he was scheduled to fly to Midland, Texas, with President Donald Trump. The congressman has since filled recovered from the virus, KETK reported in August. Gohmert credited vitamins and the controversial hydroxychloroquine drug for his quick recovery and announced plans to donate his plasma to research.
While there is no “rigorous evidence” yet that proves coronavirus can lead to a person’s teeth falling out, The New York Times reported in late November that numerous COVID-19 survivors have claimed that their gums are more sensitive or that they felt their teeth were turning grey, chipping, or falling out.
Dr. David Okano, a periodontist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City told the paper, “It’s extremely rare that teeth will literally fall out of their sockets,” but noted that dental issues may become worse through complications of COVID-19.
Dr. William W. Li, president and medical director of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a nonprofit that studies the health and disease of blood vessels said, “We are now beginning to examine some of the bewildering and sometimes disabling symptoms that patients are suffering months after they’ve recovered from Covid,” including these accounts of dental issues and teeth loss.
Twitter Users Had Mixed Reactions After Watching Gohmert’s Tooth Fall Out
Video Gohmert’s tooth incident caused a split reaction on Twitter. While many users online expressed the wish that they never watching saw the viral clip, journalist Ashleigh Feinberg tweeted, i don’t know how to say this without sounding sarcastic but there is truly nothing that i love more than watching our geriatric leaders and lawmakers decompose before our very eyes.”
One person tweeted, “@replouiegohmert is so freaking decrepit his teeth are falling out of his head.”
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