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I wouldn't even dream to sand or shape them, and neither did my parents, though they could've afforded it. The whole idea seems completely out of this world. And I think most Europeans share my view, we accept our teeth as they come, unless they create chewing or health problems, or create any severe aesthetic damage.
Your teeth are usually filed and polished once your braces are removed. I think it's a standard procedure though I could be wrong.
Teeth are just our hangup. The way the French and British can't understand our obsession with teeth is the same way many Americans can't understand the French love affair with fashion. Even in New York, it's common to see people strolling to brunch wearing flip flops and a wrinkled up tee shirt with "SYRACUSE" or some other school across the front. You won't see that in Paris. People make more of an effort to look nice.
Where do you get this stuff from? What do you think the number of people with veneers is (costing $2,500 and up per tooth) compared to the number of people who've had braces?
I was referring to people who end up getting those blindingly white fake teeth which cost the price of a brand-new, high-end vehicle.
I was referring to people who end up getting those blindingly white fake teeth which cost the price of a brand-new, high-end vehicle.
You said that was the new "class marker." So where is that the case? Who is getting veneers other than TV personalities and celebrities?
Braces are a common thing in the U.S. And straight teeth is a class marker here. If you walk around with a mouth full of crooked, yellow teeth, people will think you grew up in some backwater rural county and couldn't afford basic dental care.
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Braces on one's teeth, however, aren't routinely considered a frivolous beauty aid. In the United States, broken, missing, or extremely crooked teeth are social-class markers that can keep people out of schools and jobs.
It's not that Americans are any more or less superficial. It's just that superficiality is expressed differently. Instead of prancing around town in a 700 Euro Canada Goose coat, which is so common in Paris, people here put that money into braces.
You said that was the new "class marker." So where is that the case? Who is getting veneers other than TV personalities and celebrities?
Braces are a common thing in the U.S. And straight teeth is a class marker here. If you walk around with a mouth full of crooked, yellow teeth, people will think you grew up in some backwater rural county and couldn't afford basic dental care.
It's not that Americans are any more or less superficial. It's just that superficiality is expressed differently. Instead of prancing around town in a 700 Euro Canada Goose coat, which is so common in Paris, people here put that money into braces.
Braces are common in the UK and Europe and are not exactly unique to the US.
Braces are common in the UK and Europe and are not exactly unique to the US.
Bracesa are more common in the UK today than they were a generation ago. That doesn't mean that they've been as prevalent for as long as they have been in the U.S. There's a much different attitude about teeth here just as there's a much different attitude about dress there.
Bracesa are more common in the UK today than they were a generation ago. That doesn't mean that they've been as prevalent for as long as they have been in the U.S.
Not really - I had both normal brace and a fixed brace growing up as a child and had excellent care in terms of NHS Dentists as well as a state of the art dental hospital.
I have always found British Dentistry to be excellent.
Not really - I had both normal brace and a fixed brace growing up as a child and had excellent care in terms of NHS Dentists as well as a state of the art dental hospital..
I'm not talking about dental care. I'm talking about the fixation on the appearance of teeth.
So from 1970-1990, you think that the emphasis on perfect teeth in the UK was equally as strong as it was in the US?
Is there anything about the US you do not have a problem with?
Of course! I love NY, San Francisco, and other cities, love mac n cheese with lobster, love the ease of 7-11s always being there and open, and other stuff.
I'm not talking about dental care. I'm talking about the fixation on the appearance of teeth.
So from 1970-1990, you think that the emphasis on perfect teeth in the UK was equally as strong as it was in the US?
The emphasis on perfect teeth in the US is only relevant in terms of a select number of individuals, indeed 100 million Americans have no dental cover in the US and only 4 out of 10 Americans see a dentist annually compared to 7 out of 10 Britons. Much of the stereotype that Britain had terrible teeth coming from the days of Empire when to be perfectly honest no one country in the world had great teeth.
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Do the British really have unusually bad teeth? Are they any worse than American chompers?
Here’s one statistic: In the past year, about seven in 10 people in Britain visited a dentist, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Only four in 10 Americans did the same.
In speaking with some colleagues across the pond, combined with my general knowledge and a little research, I have concluded that the English do not have worse teeth than anywhere else. However, I feel there are a few reasons why this stereotype has flourished. One reason is England dominated the world until the 19th century, so they were prolific. Being prolific gets you noticed. And one common thread in the entire world was nobody had good teeth until modern dentistry. So, you had centuries of bad teeth, and one country is really prolific during that time... seems like a good birthplace for a stereotype, huh?
Between 2000 and 2010, the UK dentistry market grew by around 46%. During that same period, its private sector, whose domain includes not merely oral health but also oral beauty, doubled in value from £1.2bn to £2.4bn. While I've been away, it seems, Britain has had a revolution in its mouth.
Last edited by Rozenn; 07-18-2014 at 01:56 PM..
Reason: Copyright
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