Dentists are used to extracting teeth as part of cosmetic dentistry or other procedures, but most would agree that they don't usually come out of people's ears.
However, that is exactly what happened to 47-year-old former miner Stephen Hirst this week.
He had suffered from excruciating earaches since he was 14 and despite numerous visits to his doctor, nobody could find the cause.
Mr Hirst made one last attempt to cure his condition recently and booked an appointment with an ear specialist at a Sheffield Hospital.
Nurses were stunned when they cleaned the patient's ear and used a suction cup, only to see a tooth emerge.
Mr Hirst said he is mystified as to the source of the tooth, but speculated that he may have pushed it in there as a toddler and then forgotten.
Anyone who has problems with their teeth, wherever they happen to be, may benefit from cosmetic dentistry and should seek the advice of an accredited professional to see what treatments will suit them.
