The American inventor of a gel designed to treat toothache has passed away aged 103, at his home in Arizona. According to an obituary in the Associated Press, David Morris Kern was born in New York City and studied to be a pharmacist in Brooklyn; he sold pharmaceuticals and later bought a pharmaceutical manufacturing company with his brother. Working with a chemistry professor, Kern put years of research into developing a product that would ease the pain of toothache, which would later be named Orajel.
The inventors son Allen Kern said that his father was ‘really proud’ of Orajel because ‘it was the No 1 product for toothaches for years.’
Orajel is a topical analgesic that contains benzocaine, an ingredient that numbs the tissue in the mouth by blocking nerve signals travelling to the brain – this is designed to relieve toothache and any other pain that might originate around the teeth. There are several different versions available, including Orajel suitable for teething infants who are in pain. Orajel is still on sale at pharmacies all over the country today and further afield, including the UK, even though Kern sold the company in the early sixties.
At his 100th birthday, Kern told his family and friends that the best way to stay young at heart is to remain optimistic and ‘take advantage of every day’. He also noted that he had never eaten green vegetables and drank a martini every single day.