World Faith : Tooth Fact...

Look what I found on the internet! (sorry people, since the moderator is going to study dentistry, this has some dental elements!) Saint Apollonia is the Saint of Dentistry! Similar to our Patron Saint, Saint Aloysius Gonzaga(refer to August 2007 post), Saint Apollonia is regarded as the patron saint of dentistry because ... well, read this article taken from Wikipedia.

"Saint Apollonia was one of a group of virgin martyrs who suffered in Alexandria during a local uprising against the Christians prior to the persecution of Decius. According to legend, her torture included having all of her teeth violently pulled out or shattered. For this reason, she is popularly regarded as the patroness of dentistry and those suffering from toothache or other dental problems."

"At that time Apollonia, parthénos presbytis (by which he very probably means not a virgin advanced in years as is generally reported, but a deaconess) was held in high esteem. These men seized her also and by repeated blows broke all her teeth. They then erected outside the city gates a pile of fagots and threatened to burn her alive if she refused to repeat after them impious words (either a blasphemy against Christ, or an invocation of the heathen gods). Given, at her own request, a little freedom, she sprang quickly into the fire and was burned to death."

"The Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches celebrate the feast day of St. Apollonia on February 9, and she is popularly invoked against the toothache because of the torments she had to endure. She is represented in art with pincers in which a tooth is held."

"The island of Mauritius was originally named Santa Apolonia in her honor in 1507 by Portuguese navigators."

Mmm...cool...
If you all want to know any other Patron Saints, or find out about the meaning of your names etc., shout it loud in the cbox.
It's Paulline year this year by the way...