Last year, one of John Lennon’s molars was auctioned off for about $31,000 – and it seems the buyer had more than a display case in mind to house the tooth.

A small piece of the tooth has been incorporated into a bust of Lennon, according to Canadian newspaper the Edmonton Sun. The artist behind the sculpture, Kirsten Zuk, is the sister of Michael Zuk, the Canadian dentist who purchased the molar for $31,200. Zuk, who acquired the tooth last November at an auction in Stockport, England, encouraged his sister to use the tooth.

“This is like a time-capsule. It will contain his DNA,” she told the Sun, despite the fact that the tooth is actually too fragile to be DNA tested.

However, the auction house that sold the molar got it from Lennon’s housekeeper from 1964-1968, Dot Jarlett. Her son Barry explained to CNN how his family came to acquire the tooth: “She was very close with John, and one day whilst chatting in the kitchen, John gave my mother the tooth (he had been to the dentist to have it removed that day) and suggested giving it to my sister as a souvenir, as she was a huge Beatles fan.”

Zuk’s Lennon sculpture will be on display during Edmonton’s Fringe Festival from August 16-26, with the goal of raising donations for the charity Smile Train.

- Jillian Mapes, CBS Local