Britt Baker Clarifies Whether She Has The Same Degree As Dr. Isaac Yankem

There is a question that has been in the back of wrestling fans' minds for some time now, and we finally have an answer. What's the difference between Dr. Britt Baker, DMD, and Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS?

Baker recently spoke with Mel Magazine and clarified that she does in fact have the same degree as fictional dentist Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS. DMD stands for "Doctor of Medicine In Dentistry" and DDS stands for "Doctor of Dental Surgery" and according to Dr. Baker, "same degree, different letters."

Baker cited a dedication to her own reality as a reason for keeping the character so close to her personality, saying she never had a gimmick that "wasn't me."

"My name is my name: I'm Britt Baker, and I'm a dentist, so I don't really know what it is to play something that I'm not," Baker said. She went on to describe that she'll push her own limits in regards to smack talk or "just being an ass" when she has to be a heel character. "But I have so much fun doing that."

So why the different letters for the same degree? The difference dates back to the 1800s. Baltimore College of Dental Surgery was the first dental school in the world and opened in 1840. BCDS classified their graduates as "Doctors of Dental Surgery," which led to many subsequent dental schools following suit. In 1867, Harvard University opened its own dental school, but seeing as Harvard grants all their degrees in Latin, the English-based "DDS" was not up to their standard, leading to Harvard altering the usual MD (Medicinae Doctoris) to DMD (Doctoris Medicinae Dentarie). With the Baltimore school being the first, but Harvard generally being considered the academic standard, a compromise was reached whereby all dental schools have the option of granting DDS or DMD degrees. All dentists have to meet the same national and state certification requirements, regardless of whether they are a DMD or a DDS.

Baker took the former Dr. Isaac Yankem to task on Friday, calling out the current mayor of Knox County, TN — who is better known in his wrestling career as the demonic masked figure, Kane — for his celebration of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, saying, "No wonder you couldn't cut it as a dentist #idiot."