Skin O' My Teeth: Legendary frontman drops into Kiwi dentist

A quick visit to a local dentist and lunch with giraffes were on the whirlwind Kiwi itinerary for metal stars Megadeth over the weekend.

Frontman and ex-Metallica member Dave Mustaine delighted staff and patients at Green Bay Dental over the weekend when he came in for a check-up.

Owner and chief dentist Dr Rashid (Rush) Bharuchi told the Herald he received a call from the star’s management on Friday asking whether Mustaine could pop in on Saturday morning before Megadeth’s shows with Iron Maiden at Spark Arena that night.

Mustaine, who has written extensively about his battle with throat cancer and how it had affected his mouth, had some work done in Nashville and just wanted to make sure things were going well.

He was in good hands. Bharuchi had previously worked at a head and neck cancer clinic.

“I put him in the chair, had a good look and just took care of what needed to be done, nothing too major,” Bharuchi said.

The team at Green Bay Dental were stoked to have metal legend Dave Mustaine in. Photo / Green Bay Dental

True to form, Mustaine showcased his “great sense of humour” and was more than happy to take a photo with the staff.

He even gave the team a bunch of free tickets to the shows.

“He’s just a cool guy, you know. He came with a beanie, so you didn’t see all that luscious hair that he’s got in there. He took it off for the photo and it all just sort of streamed out, which was pretty cool,” Bharuchi said.

Green Bay Dental has become one of the most trusted places for international stars to get a check-up while touring here.

Pop star Ed Sheeran also left the premises with a glowing smile in 2023, much to the delight of starstruck fans.

“The cool thing is that the other patients in the waiting room get to see these guys, too. They come in, sit down, fill out a form and go through just like anyone else, but it really blows the other patients away,” Bharuchi said.

“It was the same when Ed Sheeran came in. It was so nice and it became a highlight for a lot of people as well.”

Ironically, one of Megadeth’s hit songs is titled Skin O’ My Teeth, although it strays far from the topic of dentistry, instead focusing on the idiom of narrowly escaping death.

On the other side of town, drummer Dirk Verbeuren and guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari took a trip to the Auckland Zoo.

The pair were pictured feeding giraffes and holding barn owls.

“Had an amazing time at Auckland Zoo learning about orangutans, tigers, kiwi, barn owls, tuataras, wētapunga, but the highlight was getting to hand-feed the giraffes,” the pair posted on Megadeth’s official Instagram.

“Thank you to the Auckland Zoo for organising a tour for us and for all the important conservation work you do!”

It’s rather fitting that the pair headed to the zoo – Megadeth are known to be advocates for conservation work.

Their 1992 song and album, Countdown to Extinction, took inspiration from a magazine article about canned hunts – a process where wealthy hunters paid to shoot exotic animals trapped in fenced-in areas.

The song criticises trophy hunting and human-caused species extinction and won the Humane Society’s Genesis Award for raising awareness.

Megadeth are currently touring Australia and New Zealand with fellow metal legends Iron Maiden, which are set to be their final shows before Mustaine’s musical retirement in the coming years.

They performed two sold-out shows at Auckland’s Spark Arena over the weekend, with one attendee telling the Herald they were “exceptional”, with Mustaine in fine voice.

Mustaine, who suffers from a hand condition called Dupuytren’s contracture, which in his case is painful and causes problems playing his guitar, told the Herald earlier this year he hoped to keep playing until he no longer could.

“I didn’t want to. It wasn’t in my plans to stop,” he said.

Dave Mustaine says he's grateful for the time and memories Megadeth have provided him with. Photo / Ross Halfin

He has been to New Zealand “plenty of times” but admitted he rarely had time to take it all in.

“I love going to New Zealand because of the majesty and beauty of the island. I would love to spend some time down by the sea, but our schedules never permit that,” he said.