It seems that things are changing. One survey said that 53 per cent of under-35s have had cosmetic dental work. And many celebrities sport pristine rows of shiny white teeth that ironically look entirely artificial.
Personally I find slightly wonky teeth much more attractive than the visually perfect variety that are now so ubiquitous. David Bowie's less than perfect teeth were part of his appeal, and I was disappointed when he finally took against them and went for some better ones.
My own teeth are not very white, and two of my front teeth overlap, but it's never bothered me - or Jenny. Nobody's going to avoid me because they dislike my teeth. I certainly don't want to spend thousands of pounds remaking my teeth to fit some fashionable aesthetic image.
We're encouraged to buy all sorts of special accessories to clean our teeth more thoroughly - floss, inter-dental brushes, electric toothbrushes etc - but do they really make much difference? I just use a standard toothbrush and that works for me. I still have all 26 teeth, though some of them are well-filled (six teeth were extracted when I was a boy as my jaws were too small to accommodate all 32).
My teeth are just fine as they are. As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Here in Costa Rica the place crawls with dentists and anyone younger than sixty with a bit of money has what I call american teeth....white, regular tombstones. They look like dentures to me....
ReplyDeleteApart from having had wisdom teeth removed - they kept on coming - and the usual dental upkeep over the years I just brush them and they do their job.
Helen: Yes indeed, miniature tombstones. Why do people aspire to such artificiality?
DeleteI also had several teeth removed because there wasn't room for them. My only "tool" other than my toothbrush is a water pick because I have a couple of places where food gets stuck that brushing doesn't reach. My American teeth are far from perfect.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Linda: Water picks seem to be quite effective. I also have a couple of food traps that I have to brush very thoroughly.
DeleteI never understood how the British bad teeth thing started? But I can’t imagine not flossing. I’ve never had a cavity though.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: You've never had a cavity? That's amazing. You must have a very tooth-friendly diet.
DeleteI've always thought it's not that British are fond of bad teeth but that the cost of dentistry is so high that it is not given priority in a family budget. It's much the same here.
ReplyDeleteJoanne: If you're getting NHS treatment, it's not that expensive. The charge for an examination plus a scale and polish is only £26.80, while the charge for a filling or root canal filling is £73.50. But that might still be too much if you're really hard up.
DeleteIt seems that people don't want to talk about teeth - their own or anybody else's. Intriguing.
ReplyDeleteWhy spend thousands of dollars making your teeth look as white and perfect as a set of dentures? Yvonne
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