Fluorescent episode
In 1983, Yasuhiro Odanaka visited Geller's lab to assist with the development of “CREOPAL” COMPOSITE TEETH. Separate from his primary work, Odanaka brought several sample models to Geller's lab in Zurich to show him and seek his opinion.
Geller pointed to one sample (a full-mouth sample porcelain on a maxillary plaster model) and remarked, “You made this sample with 14 teeth, but only the right maxillary central incisor was made with VITA VMK 68, right!?” At the time, Odanaka was using Noritake porcelain and couldn't understand what Geller was saying at all.
Odanaka replied, “This sample was made entirely with Noritake porcelain.” Geller then instructed Mauro Sant, who was an employee at the time, to place the sample on the palm of his right hand and stand under the fluorescent light. Geller stood about 1.5 meters in front of him, instructing him to hold his empty right hand over the sample, blocking the fluorescent light. After repeating this process two or three times to observe the light entering the sample, Geller declared, “No doubt about it. Only this right central incisor is VITA.” He then asked me, “Want to bet $100?” and motioned for us to move to the next room.
In the darkened adjacent room, when Odanaka's sample model was illuminated with a black light, the porcelain on the samples glowed due to the fluorescent material, but only the right central incisor remained dark and did not glow. Odanaka found this fact unbelievable and could not comprehend it. Despite all being made from Noritake porcelain, only one tooth lacked the fluorescent color.
It is speculated that when creating the sample model, Odanaka initially fabricated only the right central incisor first (using Noritake porcelain from the initial release period, which did not contain fluorescent material) to establish the image, and later built up the rest using Noritake AAA porcelain (which does contain fluorescent material). This “Geller's Eye” incident is one of the anecdotes that astonished the other dental technicians present.
