A Tik Toker named Archie—@archiebeshort—took to social media to reveal a shocking dental experience. After noticing one of his teeth had turned completely black, Archie rushed to the dentist for what he thought was a severe tooth infection.
However, his results were not as expected.
After being examined by a dentist Archie learned not only had his tooth turned black, but also his jaw bone and possibly other bones in his body—a condition known as black bone disease.
He then posted a viral TikTok explaining his disease and viewers can't seem to make heads or tails of it.
See the video below:
Normally black bone disease is inherited, but it turns out it can also be induced by certain medications.
Such is the case for Archie.
During Archie's formative middle and high school years, he struggled with bad acne. Eventually, it got to the point where his doctors prescribed him the medication Minocycline.
Minocycline acts as an antibiotic to prevent bacteria from causing more severe outbreaks of acne. Unfortunately for Archie, a rare side effect of Minocycline is it can turn developing bones black.
This is thought to occur through Minocycline's ability to interact with iron molecules in bone, however the entire mechanism is not yet fully known. Whether the condition is negative really depends on a patient's preference for their bone color—Archie seems to have suffered no other ill effects.
Reactions to Archie's disease were fairly mixed.
Understandably, many Minocycline users were shook.
@archiebeshort
@archiebeshort
@archiebeshort
@archiebeshort
@archiebeshort
Yet some people seem to envy Archie's condition.
@archiebeshort
@archiebeshort
@archiebeshort
@archiebeshort
Luckily, Minocycline-induced black bone disease only seems to effect bone pigment and is not known to effect anything else in the body.
As Archie even admits himself, the only side effect he's experienced with his bones is "being really, really cool."
Archie's bones may even eventually turn back to their normal coloration over time.
@novaramedia/TikTok
