Entry No. 14 — the Oklahoma City file — filed under: roadside oddity
Pierre Fauchard, 'Father of Modern Dentistry' Statue
“sculpted not by a professional artist but by a dentist”
A bronze statue of an 18th-century French dental surgeon stands guard outside the Oklahoma Dental Association building, dressed in his finest late-1600s clothes. The kicker: it was sculpted not by a professional artist but by a dentist.
The story
If you scan the lawns along NE 13th Street in Oklahoma City’s Health Center district, look right past the standard medical office signboards. Standing outside the Oklahoma Dental Association building is an 18th-century French dental surgeon cast in bronze, outfitted in full late-1600s attire. This is Pierre Fauchard—the man widely credited as the father of modern dentistry—keeping eternal watch over an unassuming patch of turf.
The real kicker isn't just that a French medical pioneer sits on a lawn in central Oklahoma; it's who rendered him. This statue wasn't commissioned from a famous fine-art sculptor. It was sculpted by an actual dentist. It stands as a hyper-niche homage created by someone whose day job involved staring into open mouths, built to honor the man who revolutionized dental science.
What it's like
Set your GPS for 317 NE 13th St, just near the OU Health campus. The bronze is relatively small and completely unlit, so slow your roll and scan the grass on the north side of the street or you'll blow right past it. Free street parking is usually easy to snag along the block. Because it sits right outside an active, working office building, keep things low-key: pull up during daylight, line up your best deadpan smile next to Pierre, take the photo, and move along.
The move: Make a tiny pilgrimage to the patron saint of teeth, take a deadpan photo flashing your best smiles next to him, and argue over which of you has better dental hygiene.
📍 Before you go The bronze stands right out front of the Oklahoma Dental Association building at 317 NE 13th St, on the north side of the street in OKC's Health Center district near the OU Health medical campus. It's small and easy to blow past, so slow down and scan the lawn rather than the doorways. Free street parking is usually findable nearby; daylight is best for the deadpan smile photo since it's unlit. It sits outside a working office, so keep it low-key and respectful, especially on weekdays. Pair it with a wander through the surrounding medical-district blocks or a short hop toward the Plaza District for food afterward.
- 📍 OKC Health Center / NE 13th
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 317 NE 13th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Hours: Outdoor statue on the north side of NE 13th, viewable anytime.
Pair it with
- Architectural DNA — Trade a dentist-sculpted bronze monument for another strange outdoor structure just 0.6 miles away—a fire escape suspended in midair like a double helix.
- Factory Obscura: Mix-Tape After Hours — Follow up a quick deadpan photo op outside a medical building with a short half-mile hop to an immersive, neon-soaked art maze.
- The SoundBar — Head under a mile west into Automobile Alley to grab a drink at a hidden upstairs loft speakeasy after your quick dental pilgrimage.
- Overholser Mansion — History & Haunts tour — Swap 18th-century dental history for 1903 French chateau architecture and ghost stories just down the road in Heritage Hills.
Good to know
Where exactly is the statue located?
It stands on the front lawn of the Oklahoma Dental Association building at 317 NE 13th St, on the north side of the street in OKC's Health Center district.
When can I visit and how much does it cost?
It's outdoors and completely free to view 24/7, though daylight is strongly recommended for photos since the bronze is unlit.
Who was Pierre Fauchard?
He was an 18th-century French surgeon known as the 'Father of Modern Dentistry' for pioneering early dental science, tools, and prosthetic techniques.
Where should I park?
Free street parking is usually easy to find directly along NE 13th Street.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Roadside America · waymarking.com
last checked: 2026-06-06