Why do some rich people have terrible crooked teeth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I *like* my crowded bottom teeth. I have no idea why, considering how much all of my other facial flaws bother me. My top teeth are straight and are much more visible, so that's good enough for me.

We are not rich, but we could afford braces if I wanted them. But my teeth don't bother me, so I'm not going to go through the discomfort and awkwardness of braces at nearly 40 to fix them.

I never needed braces but I would fix my teeth if I needed them so people didn't realize I was not well off growing up.

I'm not at all ashamed of the fact that my parents couldn't afford braces for me. I'm sorry that you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My teeth were crooked enough for braces in the 80s but my parents decided against them since they didn't really look too bad. In my 30s they're a ducking disaster. Teeth move as you age.

This.

And who wants to be the 40 or 50 year old with braces. At some point it just looks dumb and one doesn't care as much a out something so superficial.

My top teeth have always been straight. My bottom ones were slightly crooked growing up. They moved as I aged. Top teeth still look great and bottom ones a disaster. I'm also rich and middle age. Not a chance I'm getting invisalign or braces in my late 40s/50s. I think that's for people whose needed them and whose parents could afford them, so they have very bad teeth or just feel they missed out.

I clicked on this thread and realized it’s from 2016. Nonetheless I’m pretty sure the pp you quoted was me. Worse 8 years later!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right. It can affect your ability to chew and speak, and it can keep getting worse and then affects your happiness and social life. It's not just for cosmetic purposes.

But presumably full grown adults with means would address any actual problems caused by their teeth. My logic says if someone could afford to fix their teeth but they choose not to, their teeth aren’t bothering them, medically or aesthetically.

Unless they don't realize what a difference they'd make--sometimes you don't know how much better you can feel because you're used to the status quo--like exercise--you don't think it will make a difference until you do it and realize how much better your life is when you workout.

I had invisalign in my late 40s. My teeth are straighter now, which pleases me. There has been no other impact on my life. Same family, same friends, same job, same success at work. If I had straightened my teeth because I thought it my change my life, I would be sorely disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Braces only became an obsession in the 80s. The folks you listed are boomers.

Untrue. My late mother had braces in 1948!

[Anonymous]

I had braces and have straight teeth.

I also have a lot of damage to the teeth due to being corrected.

Braces are stupid and mostly cosmetic. Who cares if your teeth are perfectly straight?

The obsession in the 80s was financially motivated and took advantage of nervous parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it odd as well. Teeth are very important. Braces are very reasonably priced. I had braces and for the last 20 years I've had a permanent bottom retainer. My teeth still look great. I don't understand why you wouldn't fix something that that be fixed.

Yikes. What grownup wants to wear a retainer for decades?

My bottom retainer is super glued to my teeth and has been there for 25+ years. I doubt I will ever get rid of it. Dentists have asked me if I want to remove it but I always say no. Why would I want to remove a retainer that is still keeping my teeth in place and doesn't bother me in the slightest?

You have had a foreign object glued in your mouth for a quarter century? Gross!!

Hey, hey. Watch yourself there. I knocked out my adult front teeth in a fall when I was a kid and have had a bridge glued into my mouth since I was in my 20s. The first one lasted 20 years. It’s not all about vanity (unless you consider wanting to have front teeth vain).

Side note - none of it was covered by insurance in my 20s. I had “good” dental insurance for the replacement and it covered only 1/3 of the cost, which was nearly $10k.

None of that is about a permanent retainer of course, but there are all kinds of reasons to glue foreign objects into your mouth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It may be that they did get them fixed when they were younger but the teeth moved back over time. They may have not worn their retainer, etc. I had braces when I was younger in my 40s now with crowded lower teeth. For what it is worth, I get good marks from my dentist on flossing and hygiene. Have thought about another round of braces but too busy, like most of us in DC area

Yeah this. Much more typical for bottom teeth to crowd as you get older, even if you’ve had expensive orthodontia. Wear your retainers!

[Anonymous]

Ugh, all my life I've wondered this. While no one can tell others what to do, people have a right to be superficial and shallow, in opinion, as a matter of taste and preference. I think hiding a bottom row of ugly teeth connotes being deceptive, as noticed of men by women. Bad teeth are especially noticeable, by me, if a man is extremely good-looking, dresses flawless, flaunts an upscale lifestyle everywhere BUT when he opens his mouth. Women are just as shallow when it comes to looks as men but we're told we're not, as if we are somehow not emotional and more logical than men. So many good-looking men (yes, many have been English), reached levels of talent, fame or success, with flaws in teeth. Hurt my heart like dog sh*t on a pair of Antonio Vietri shoes.

[Anonymous]

My sister is a nurse and their rule of thumb is - missing tooth = no insurance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, all my life I've wondered this. While no one can tell others what to do, people have a right to be superficial and shallow, in opinion, as a matter of taste and preference. I think hiding a bottom row of ugly teeth connotes being deceptive, as noticed of men by women. Bad teeth are especially noticeable, by me, if a man is extremely good-looking, dresses flawless, flaunts an upscale lifestyle everywhere BUT when he opens his mouth. Women are just as shallow when it comes to looks as men but we're told we're not, as if we are somehow not emotional and more logical than men. So many good-looking men (yes, many have been English), reached levels of talent, fame or success, with flaws in teeth. Hurt my heart like dog sh*t on a pair of Antonio Vietri shoes.

Vietri's shoes are horrid. No accounting for taste, as usual.

[Anonymous]

Some people have dental trauma (me). I do believe that if I will be missing teeth one day that I will opt for a prosthetic denture and go about my life. I can afford surgery but I don't believe that I would want it. Especially if this is later in life. Dental trauma is real and some people just can't bring themselves to go through it.

[Anonymous]

Ew. This is really judgy. Most people in their 40s and 50s and up have lived life and their teeth aren't going to be perfect. They shift as you get older and you lose bone. Do you feel this way about people who don't dye their hair or wear shapewear? Those "fixes" are a lot cheaper and don't require surgery and time away from work. This post really rubs me the wrong way.

[Anonymous]

Because as you age, your teeth actually become a reflection of your soul.

[Anonymous]

Most adults are more comfortable walking around with imperfect teeth than with braces, and I can’t blame them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I *like* my crowded bottom teeth. I have no idea why, considering how much all of my other facial flaws bother me. My top teeth are straight and are much more visible, so that's good enough for me.

We are not rich, but we could afford braces if I wanted them. But my teeth don't bother me, so I'm not going to go through the discomfort and awkwardness of braces at nearly 40 to fix them.

I never needed braces but I would fix my teeth if I needed them so people didn't realize I was not well off growing up.

Utterly pathetic. Wow.