In the early days of YouTube, viral fame could come from the most ordinary moments. There were no professional influencers, no carefully planned social media strategies and no huge production teams behind most viral videos. Sometimes all it took was a camera, a funny moment and the right audience
In 2009, millions of people watched a short home video showing a seven-year-old boy sitting in the back of a car after a dental procedure.
David was still affected by anesthesia and appeared confused about what had just happened.
He asked his father a series of strange and surprisingly philosophical questions.
The family simply wanted to share the footage with her and their relatives. The viral explosion came later.
Today the question many people have is simple: Where is David DeVore now? David is no longer the confused seven-year-old sitting in the back of a car.
He grew up away from the constant attention that surrounded the original meme. He attended college and later spoke publicly about what it was like to become famous on the internet as a child.
His story is also an early example of something that has become common today. A child can become famous online before fully understanding what fame means.
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Table of Contents
Who Is David DeVore?
David DeVore Jr. is the person at the center of the viral 2009 YouTube video “David After Dentist.”1
He was seven years old when his father recorded him after a dental procedure in May 2008.
David had undergone oral surgery to have an extra tooth removed. The extra tooth was associated with hyperdontia, a condition in which a person develops more teeth than usual.
His father filmed David after the procedure because David’s mother could not attend. The intention was not to create entertainment for millions of strangers. It was simply a family video.
That small decision eventually changed the family’s life.
David’s reaction to the anesthesia was unusual and funny. He questioned what was happening around him.
He talked about his vision and his fingers. He repeatedly asked his father whether the experience was real and whether it would continue forever.
The innocent confusion made the clip extremely relatable to internet audiences.
David’s father initially shared the video on Facebook. It eventually moved to YouTube where it exploded.
According to Scripps News, David’s father said that the video had reached around 10,000 views by the end of one Sunday before rising to roughly 3 million or 4 million views only a few days later.
That was the beginning of David’s unexpected internet career.
The Story Behind “David After Dentist”
The story of the video is important because it shows just how different the internet was in 2009.
Today a creator may deliberately post a video hoping that an algorithm will recommend it. In 2009, viral success was much less predictable.
David’s father had no major marketing plan. He was not trying to build a YouTube career. He wanted to share a family video.
After seeing interest in the clip, he uploaded it to YouTube. The video quickly attracted viewers.
Know Your Meme records that the video was uploaded to YouTube on January 30, 2009 and received more than 3 million views within three days. It became one of the biggest viral videos of that early YouTube period.
The clip was only around two minutes long. Yet people kept sharing it.
The phrase “Is this real life?” became part of internet culture. Other lines from the video also became recognizable references.
David’s reaction was not scripted. That helped make the clip feel authentic.
There was something almost universal about watching a child trying to understand a strange experience. Viewers could laugh at the situation without needing to know anything about David’s family.
That combination of innocence, confusion and humor helped the video travel around the world.
Where Is David DeVore Now?
As of 2026, David DeVore Jr. is an adult and is far removed from the seven-year-old boy seen in the original video.
Publicly available reporting confirms that he attended the University of Florida and reached adulthood while continuing to have a much quieter public presence than many modern influencers.
There is not enough reliable public information to give a detailed account of his current private life, career or exact day-to-day activities. That is worth emphasizing because many websites repeat unverified claims about former viral stars.
What can be confirmed is that David has continued to occasionally discuss his experience with internet fame.
In January 2025, David appeared on The Tamron Hall Show as part of a segment about the 20th anniversary of YouTube.
The program brought back early viral personalities to discuss what happened after their internet fame. David was featured alongside other early YouTube stars.
That appearance showed that David is not completely disconnected from the story. Instead, he seems to approach it as an unusual part of his childhood that shaped his life.
Your takes are always wrong lol https://t.co/4PcKcOnqED
— David DeVore (@daviddevore_00) September 5, 2022
Stats Table
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | David DeVore Jr. |
| Internet name | David After Dentist |
| Birth year | Around 2001 |
| Age when video was filmed | 7 |
| Famous video | David After Dentist |
| Dental procedure | Removal of an extra tooth |
| Video uploaded | January 2009 |
| Original filming | May 2008 |
| Famous phrase | “Is this real life?” |
| Platform | YouTube |
| Early viral milestone | More than 3 million views in three days |
| Reported YouTube views | More than 140 million |
| College | University of Florida |
| Major later milestone | Sold the viral video as an NFT |
| NFT sale | About $13,500 |
| Family business | Merchandise and video licensing |
| Latest major public appearance found | Tamron Hall, January 2025 |
Why Did David After Dentist Become So Popular?
There were several reasons for the video’s success.2
First was timing. YouTube was becoming a major part of online culture in the late 2000s. People were increasingly discovering ordinary individuals through short videos rather than traditional television.
Second was the simplicity of the clip. There was no complicated story. David was sitting in a car talking to his father. That made the video easy to understand.
Third was the catchphrase. “Is this real life?” became bigger than the original video. The phrase could be used in completely different situations.
Finally, David himself was naturally funny. He was not performing a character. His comments came from his confused state after the dental procedure.
The video became a perfect example of early internet humor. It was short, strange and completely unexpected.
By 2010, The Washington Post reported that the video had received around 56 million YouTube views and that the DeVore family had built a six-figure business around the unexpected success.
David’s Family Turned Viral Fame Into a Business
The DeVore family quickly realized that the video could have commercial value.
They became YouTube partners and began earning money from advertising. They also sold merchandise based on David and his famous phrases.
The Washington Post reported in 2010 that the family had generated income from YouTube advertising, merchandise and licensing. The newspaper described the business as being in the low six figures at the time.
The family also licensed the video’s popularity for commercial purposes. One of the most recognizable examples was a Vizio Super Bowl advertisement.
David appeared in a commercial alongside Beyoncé. That was a remarkable jump from a home video recorded in a family car.
David’s father later said the family initially thought the video might earn enough money for things such as video games or a family vacation.
Eventually they realized the opportunity could be much larger and might even help with college expenses.
Did David’s Parents Exploit Him?
The success of the video also created an uncomfortable question.
Was it fair to post a seven-year-old’s confused reaction to anesthesia online?
David’s father received criticism for sharing the footage. Some people argued that David was too young to understand the consequences of becoming an internet celebrity.
His father defended the decision.
In a piece for TIME, David DeVore Sr. explained that the family initially worried about the consequences of the sudden fame.
He said they even considered taking the video down during the early days of its popularity. The concern was understandable.
The internet has a permanent memory. A funny moment from childhood can follow someone for decades.
In David’s case, however, the family has consistently described the experience as positive overall. David also appeared to become comfortable with the video as he grew older.
That distinction is important. The internet often sees a viral child as a character rather than a real person.
David eventually had to grow up while millions of people still remembered a two-minute version of him as a seven-year-old.
What Happened to David as He Got Older?
David did not remain permanently stuck in his childhood internet persona.
In 2014, Scripps News reported that David was 14 years old and attending eighth grade. He was described as a normal teenager who played football and continued living his life away from the internet spotlight.
A year later, the TODAY show revisited David for YouTube’s 10th anniversary. By then he was 14 and had grown considerably since the original video.
David reportedly found the video funny but admitted that watching it repeatedly could become old. That reaction made sense.
For the internet, the clip was a timeless meme. For David, it was simply an embarrassing childhood moment that millions of strangers had watched.
That difference between public memory and private experience is one of the most interesting parts of his story.
David DeVore Went to College
One of the biggest updates in David’s life came when he reached college.
By 2019, reports confirmed that David was preparing to attend the University of Florida. The story was notable because the internet still remembered him as a seven-year-old while he was now becoming a young adult.
By 2021, Business Insider described David as a 20-year-old University of Florida student. This was an important stage in his life.
For years, people knew him primarily as “the David After Dentist kid.” College gave him an opportunity to build an identity beyond the viral video.
He was no longer a child accidentally famous on YouTube. He was an adult student making decisions about his own future.
David Sold the Viral Video as an NFT
In 2021, David and his family found another unusual way to monetize the original viral moment.
They sold the “David After Dentist” video as a non-fungible token.
The NFT sold for more than $13,500. Reports said the money could help David and his brother with college expenses.
The NFT sale was especially interesting because it showed how much internet culture had changed.
In 2009, the family was making money from YouTube advertising and T-shirts.
By 2021, digital collectibles had become a major trend. The same two-minute video had now passed through several different eras of internet monetization.
First came viral sharing. Then came YouTube advertising. Then merchandise and licensing. Finally, the video became an NFT.
It was almost a timeline of how online celebrity evolved between 2009 and 2021.
David Has Spoken About Growing Up Famous
The most fascinating part of David’s later story is not the money. It is the experience of growing up with a viral video attached to your name.
Imagine going to school while classmates know a video of you has been viewed millions of times.
Imagine becoming an adult while strangers still remember you as a seven-year-old. That is a very different type of fame from traditional celebrity.
David did not audition for a television show. He did not release a song. He did not choose a stage name.
He simply had an unusual reaction after a dental procedure. The internet made that moment famous.
Years later, David and his father have discussed the experience publicly. A 2021 interview revisited the original video and gave David an opportunity to look back on the moment as an adult.
The story has therefore changed from “funny kid gets anesthesia” to something more reflective.
It is now a story about childhood, internet culture and the unpredictable nature of viral fame.
Was David After Dentist His Only Claim to Fame?
For most people, yes. David’s name remains closely connected to the original video.
Unlike influencers who use one viral moment to launch years of daily content, David did not build a large public career around being David After Dentist.
That is actually one of the reasons his story is so interesting.
Many viral stars from the early YouTube era tried to stay visible. Some became full-time creators. Others disappeared.
David largely chose a more ordinary path.
He went to school. He played sports as a teenager. He attended college. He built a life outside the meme. His story therefore represents a different kind of “where are they now?” outcome.
He did not need to become a permanent internet personality.
How Much Money Did David After Dentist Make?
There is no reliable public figure for the family’s total lifetime earnings from the video.3
However, several contemporary reports show that the video generated substantial income.
By 2010, The Washington Post reported that the DeVores had earned in the low six figures through a combination of YouTube advertising, merchandise and licensing.
Inside Edition similarly reported that the family had earned more than $100,000 through licensing, YouTube revenue and merchandise at that stage.
Earlier reports cited lower figures because the income increased as the video continued to spread. The family also used the viral brand to support charitable causes.
Reports from the early period said portions of merchandise revenue were donated to dental charities.
The 2021 NFT sale added another chapter to the financial story. Still, it would be misleading to claim a precise current net worth for David.
There is no sufficiently reliable public evidence establishing his personal wealth today.
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Did David Make Money Personally From the Video?
The money generated by the video was handled as a family business rather than a simple personal influencer income stream.
David was a child when the video became popular. His parents managed the business opportunities.
Later reports made clear that the family viewed the income as a way to support their children’s education and the family’s future.
The 2021 NFT sale was specifically connected to college expenses for David and his brother.
That makes the financial side of the story different from many modern creator businesses.
There was no sponsorship agency or influencer management team waiting behind David when the video went viral. His parents had to figure out what to do as the attention grew.
Why People Still Search for David After Dentist
The interest in David has never completely disappeared. Part of that comes from nostalgia.
People who were online in the late 2000s remember the video as one of the defining memes of their early internet experience.
Another reason is curiosity. People naturally wonder what happened to children who became famous online.
Did they become celebrities? Did they disappear? Did they regret it? Did they make money? Did they go to college?
David’s story answers many of those questions.
He grew up. He went to college. He continued living mostly outside the spotlight.
And he has occasionally returned to talk about the viral moment that changed his family’s life.
David After Dentist and the Rise of Child Viral Fame
Looking back in 2026, the David After Dentist story also feels like an early warning about the modern creator economy.
Today parents can post their children’s lives online from birth. A funny moment can reach millions of people overnight.
A child can become recognizable before understanding what recognition means.
David’s experience happened before this became normal. That makes the story especially valuable.
The DeVore family had to navigate questions that are now common among parents of child creators. They had to think about privacy, money, online criticism and the long-term effect of a viral video.
David’s father later wrote about the concerns the family had when the video exploded. He acknowledged that once something is posted online, the creator has limited control over where it goes.
That lesson has become even more important as social media has expanded.
Is David DeVore Still Famous?
David is still recognizable to people who remember early YouTube culture. However, his fame is very different from the fame of a modern social media influencer.
He does not appear to have built his adult identity around constant online content.
Instead, the name “David After Dentist” remains attached to a particular moment in internet history.
That may actually be one of the healthiest outcomes for someone who became famous at seven.
The viral video remains available. The memes remain available. The catchphrase remains recognizable.
But David himself was able to grow beyond it.
What Happened to David After Dentist’s Father?
David DeVore Sr. played a major role in the story.
He was the person who recorded the original footage and later uploaded it to YouTube.
Once the video became successful, he became responsible for handling the business side of the phenomenon.
At the time, he was working in real estate. The success of the video eventually became large enough that he shifted his attention toward managing the David After Dentist business.
The Washington Post documented how the unexpected viral hit became a new business for the family.
He also defended the decision to post the video when critics questioned whether it was appropriate.
Over time, the family continued to describe the experience as overwhelmingly positive.
The Real Meaning of “Is This Real Life?”
The phrase has become funny because of the circumstances in which David said it.
But it also perfectly describes the experience that followed. For David’s family, the situation really did feel unreal.
One day they had a normal family video. A few days later millions of people were watching it. The family suddenly had merchandise, television appearances and licensing opportunities.
David became a recognizable face before he was old enough to understand what internet fame meant.
Years later, the phrase became almost symbolic of early internet culture itself.
The web was changing quickly. YouTube was becoming mainstream. Ordinary people were becoming famous.
And nobody really knew what the long-term consequences would be.
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FAQ’s
Who is David After Dentist?
David After Dentist is the nickname associated with David DeVore Jr., who became famous as a seven-year-old after a video of his reaction to dental anesthesia went viral on YouTube in 2009.
How old was David in the David After Dentist video?
David was seven years old when the original video was recorded after his dental procedure in May 2008.
What happened to David after the dentist?
David recovered from the dental procedure and eventually grew up away from the main internet spotlight. He attended college and later discussed his experience as a viral child star.
Is David DeVore still alive?
Yes. David DeVore Jr. is alive. He has appeared publicly in recent years to discuss his viral childhood video.
Where did David DeVore go to college?
David attended the University of Florida. Business Insider identified him as a University of Florida student in 2021.
Conclusion
David DeVore’s story is one of the clearest examples of how unpredictable early internet fame could be.
In 2008, David was simply a seven-year-old recovering from a dental procedure. His father recorded his confused reaction for the family.
Nobody expected the footage to become a worldwide phenomenon. Then YouTube changed everything.
As of 2026, David DeVore is best understood not as a forgotten child star but as one of the early faces of YouTube culture.
His viral moment remains frozen in time. David did not. That may be the most important part of the entire story.
The internet still remembers the seven-year-old asking, “Is this real life?”
But David himself got the chance to grow up and find out.
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