The team dentist who runs a practice in Thousand Oaks has been a longtime Rams fan. Gordon Tokumatsu reports Feb. 8, 2022.
You've seen team doctors on the field during NFL games, tending to injured players. But did you know they have team dentists too?
Daniel Elbert happens to be an LA Rams superfan, and anyone who walks into his office can see that.
He is the LA Rams team dentist: the person who cares for their choppers and those of the coaching and support staff, and their families.
Elbert's been doing this since 2016, when the head trainer called his office out of the blue, asking: "Any chance you'd like to be our dentist?"
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"Of course! It'd be like dream of mine," he said.
It's a dream that's brought him specially framed jerseys, signed game photos, and memorabilia.
"If they win the game, I'll definitely be on the field and in the locker room, celebrating with them," he said.
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Elbert's job doesn't just end at the office. It also extends to the field, during games. And there's a very good reason for that.
A photo set on his wall shows wide receiver Cooper Kupp catching a pass and strong-arming a defender. A chin strap and mouth guard kept that other player in the game. But that's not always the case.
"When I see this, this makes me cringe," he said of the photo.
"A tooth gets knocked out, a tooth breaks, a patient's having tooth pain," he said.
Thankfully, dental injuries on the field are rare. But dElbert's got to be at every single home game, caring for the visiting team's teeth too, if they're injured.
He does it all while running a busy practice in Thousand Oaks. But you won't hear him complaining.
