What Is The Setting Of 'Open Wide'?

'Open Wide' builds its world with surgical precision, blending medical horror with urban fantasy in a way that feels terrifyingly plausible. The primary setting is Dr. Voss's clandestine dental practice, hidden beneath a functioning pharmacy in downtown Los Angeles. This isn't your average dentist's office - the equipment looks like it belongs in a mad scientist's lab, with modified drills that can pierce through supernatural anatomy and chairs reinforced to restrain creatures ten times stronger than humans.

The city itself becomes a character, with different districts representing various factions in this hidden war. Chinatown's herbal shops sell more than just remedies - they deal in occult ingredients for supernatural dentistry. The wealthy hillside mansions hide vampires who pay top dollar for painless fang maintenance. What makes the setting stand out is how ordinary locations become charged with danger - a simple dental X-ray machine becomes a tool for revealing hidden demonic essences, and fluoride treatments take on life-or-death significance when they're the only thing preventing werewolves from dissolving their own teeth during transformations.

The timeline alternates between present-day chaos and flashbacks to the 1980s when the supernatural first began infiltrating dentistry. These period jumps show how the hidden world evolved, with payphones turning into supernatural hotlines and rotary dental drills becoming vintage collectors' items for ancient creatures. The attention to detail in both time periods makes the setting feel lived-in and authentic, like you could walk into any clinic and find these horrors waiting.

Forget everything you know about dental dramas - 'Open Wide' creates a setting that's equal parts medical thriller and supernatural battleground. The story unfolds in a parallel version of Chicago where dentists are the unsung heroes fighting a secret war. The protagonist's clinic sits on the border between human territory and monster zones, its waiting room acting as neutral ground where both sides can seek treatment without violence breaking out.

What fascinates me is how the author uses dental elements to redefine urban fantasy tropes. The 'bad neighborhoods' aren't just dangerous - they're literally acidic, with supernatural saliva eroding buildings over time. Graffiti isn't paint but teeth marks left by territorial ghouls. Even the weather reflects dental themes, with acidic rain that forces citizens to wear protective mouthguards outdoors.

The supernatural elements emerge naturally from medical realities. When patients develop extra teeth, it's not just a curiosity - it's the first sign they're transforming into something inhuman. Cavities become portals for demonic possession, and routine cleanings turn into exorcisms. The setting smartly plays with the universal fear of dentists, turning that anxiety into literal survival stakes where a simple checkup might reveal you're becoming a monster.