About Dr. Kellermann

Origins & Early Formation

Dr. Konstantin Julius Kellermann was born in 1867 in Vienna, Austria, the third son of a respected dentist and a woman described in family records as possessing "unusually healthy teeth for the era." He showed an early aptitude for the dental sciences and reportedly performed his first tooth extraction at age nine on a neighbor's goat. The neighbor was appreciative. The goat was not consulted.

He studied at the Vienna Institute of Applied Dental Philosophy — an institution whose existence we have been unable to independently verify — under the legendary, and quite possibly fictional, Dr. Friedrich Von Zahnfleisch, where he developed his lifelong conviction that the mouth is not merely the beginning of the digestive tract but "the very antechamber of the soul, and also of several types of worm."

Emigration & The Oregon Years

In 1899, facing an unspecified dispute with the Austrian Dental Regulatory Board — the precise nature of which is unknown, as the relevant records were destroyed in a fire that various sources describe as "accidental" with varying degrees of conviction — Dr. K emigrated to the United States. He arrived in New York carrying a leather satchel, a hand-cranked tooth drill, a photograph of a man he identified as his mentor but who could not subsequently be identified, and fourteen notebooks filled with what he called "The Grand Oral Unified Theory."

He settled in Millfield, Oregon, where he established a dental practice in a converted livery stable. The smell, according to one contemporary account, "lent the experience a certain rusticity." He practiced general dentistry there for thirty-five years and is remembered by local historians primarily because Kevin brought him up repeatedly at town council meetings until they added him to the historical register.

The Formula

Between 1899 and 1908, Dr. K worked to perfect what he called "Kellermann's Compound Dental Preparation" (preparations one through six are not discussed — he described them only as "instructive"). By 1908, he had arrived at the formula that bears his name, combining three key components:

• Hydroxyapatite — which he claimed to have discovered independently while examining "an unusually lustrous horse tooth in Pickaway County." He was incorrect. The mineral had been known to chemists since the 1780s. His enthusiasm for it, however, was entirely justified.
• Xylitol — sourced from Finnish birch trees via an arrangement with a sea captain named Paavo Heikkinen. Their correspondence, 1905–1918, is preserved in Kevin's garage. It is primarily about pricing.
• Ivermectin — which Dr. K called "Nature's Dental Constable" and which he believed belonged in every tube of toothpaste "as a matter of basic decency." He felt strongly about this. He wrote it in capital letters. We have respected this in the branding.

His 1903 monograph, The Mouth: Gateway to the Worm, was rejected by eleven medical journals but became a cherished item at Midwest state fairs, where it sold alongside patent medicines, tonics, and one extremely popular smoked ham. A surviving copy is in Kevin's possession.

Later Life & Legacy

Dr. K continued his practice and his research until his death in 1934. He never received the recognition he believed he deserved from the medical establishment, which he attributed to "professional jealousy and a general reluctance to confront the worm question." He was correct about the recognition. His theory about the reasons for its absence is harder to assess.

His formula was considered lost for eighty-five years. In 2019, Kevin Kellermann, a resident of Portland, Oregon with a background in supply-chain logistics and a podcast with 340 monthly listeners, found Dr. K's fourteen notebooks in the attic of a Kellermann family farmhouse in Polk County. Kevin has described the discovery as "a calling."

A Chronology

• 1867

  Born in Vienna. Mother's teeth reportedly "exceptional."

• 1876

  First tooth extraction performed on a neighbor's goat. Results mixed.

• 1886–1896

  Studies at the Vienna Institute of Applied Dental Philosophy. Graduates with honors that cannot be verified.

• 1899

  Dispute with Austrian Dental Regulatory Board. Records destroyed. Fire ruled accidental. Emigrates to America with fourteen notebooks and a hand-cranked drill.

• 1900

  Establishes dental practice in Millfield, Oregon. The livery stable smell persists for approximately two years.

• 1901

  Claims independent discovery of Hydroxyapatite. Begins correspondence with Finnish sea captain Paavo Heikkinen regarding birch-derived compounds.

• 1903

  Publishes The Mouth: Gateway to the Worm. Rejected by eleven journals. Sells well at the Oregon State Fair alongside a smoked ham.

• 1908

  Compound Dental Preparation No. 7 perfected. Preparations 1 through 6 not discussed.

• 1912

  Fire at the Oregon practice. Patient records lost. Ruled accidental.

• 1918

  Final letter from Paavo Heikkinen. Contents unknown; Kevin describes it as "terse."

• 1934

  Dr. K passes away in Millfield, Oregon, having never achieved the recognition he sought. Notebooks placed in attic of family farmhouse.

• 2019

  Kevin Kellermann discovers the notebooks. Describes the experience as "a calling" and immediately begins a podcast.

• 2022

  Kevin launches Kellermann Dental Preparations, LLC. First product: Dr. K's Ivermectin Toothpaste. This website is created.