Why Do High Earners Let Their Teeth Fall Apart?

[Anonymous]

Op, everyone has a plan until they get kicked in the teeth. Look out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't met one person who is well-off and has bad teeth. Even the younger brits have good teeth now. I agree that dental costs are terrible and it's not only esthetics, dental health impacts the cardiovascular health too. In addition, most of the damage is done during childhood.

I was about to say, are they British?

Perfect teeth are an American fixation.

It’s a very recent fixation, too. I watch a lot of older TV shows from the start of TV to into the 90s, and many actors and actresses had imperfect teeth - even some pretty big stars.

It’s only the last couple decades that super white super perfectly straight and even teeth became a thing with people on TV/movies, and some Americans have become personally obsessed with trying to meet this unrealistic standard themselves.

But for many regular people this means veneers, and veneers ruin the actual tooth and there are many bad dentists doing shoddy veneers which fail and have to be replaced by which involves further ruining the tooth. Do some research into veneers; it’s better to have natural healthy teeth in whatever shade of color and misaligned to whatever degree than to end up with shoddy dentistry or orthodontic care that damages/weakens one’s natural teeth.

I endured years of braces as a teen which left me with a lovely straight smile of fairly white teeth. I love coffee and tea and at one point wine, so my teeth are not so white anymore - but the enamel is healthy and I would rather not weaken or thin it with chemical whiteners for vanity. Two of my lower teeth are more substantially discolored because they are essentially dead following an accident where they met with blunt trauma. They are strong and function very well so my dentist advised to keep them. All of my teeth started to spread a bit in menopause so now I have a gap in the top front two and smaller gaps between others - lost my retainer years ago, not going to endure more orthodontic work at 55 for a minor cosmetic issues like that. I have cleanings twice a year which are quick because I brush and floss faithfully with electric brush and waterpik, and my dentist raves about the condition of my teeth. Lost one on the side bottom during pandemic because an infection led to gum recession which couldn’t be corrected - was offered an implant, don’t feel like spending the small fortune when otherwise all the rest function fine and nobody can even see my gap.

Healthy teeth aren’t always blinding white and perfectly straight; many folks with blinding white teeth have crappy veneers or thinned enamel that will eventually lead to cavities and ultimately tooth loss. Many folks with straight teeth have resorted to discount orthodontics to get them and will also eventually suffer issues for their troubles.

Stop being so judgy, OP.

I am interested in your missing tooth. I have a molar on the bottom right of my mouth that has had two root canals but I my endodontist thinks it's not going to be sufficient. He's talking implant but they are so pricy... what's it like having the gap there? How does it impact how you chew food, and does having exposed gum cause any issues?

After the last root canal I had a temp crown on it for a bit while I was waiting to re-attach the permanent crown and it was moderately annoying (I couldn't chew on that side with the temp crown because it would come out) and I started wondering if I absolutely had to have a tooth there at all. You can't really see it when I smile. I guess it would be visible to someone really examining my teeth when I talked but who looks that closely at someone else's mouth?

Anyway, curious about your experience and how you came to the decision to skip the implant. I'm still punting on it (going to wait until the dentist/endo say I have to yank the current tooth) but the day will come.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Because we have auto-immune diseases which impact our teeth. We're not going to put on veneers just to satisfy your sense of aesthetics, OP.

Op probably swoons at blinding veneers because that person is so "responsible"

[Anonymous]

I understand not everyone can afford major dental work or handle long procedures, but it’s hard to believe that every person with visibly neglected teeth is dealing with a medical crisis. No one else is thrown off when someone shows up on Zoom with missing teeth or major alignment issues that have clearly gotten worse over decades?

To me, this really does look generational. I’m an older millennial. Pretty much everyone I know grew up with braces, Invisalign, whitening, something. Meanwhile, I see a lot more long-term dental neglect among older generations like Gen X and boomers, who came of age before cosmetic dental care was considered standard. They may simply have a different threshold for what’s “fine.”

And then you look at the younger side. Gen Z and even Gen Alpha kids are whitening teeth immediately after getting braces off. I’ve seen lines of tweens waiting for whitening with their parents. For them, straight and bright teeth aren’t exceptional, they’re expected.

What I still wonder is how people with visibly unmaintained teeth view those who have great ones. Do they think it’s vanity? Excess? Or do they ever wish they’d dealt with things earlier, back when it would have been far easier?

[Anonymous]

I think it comes down to a few things: how you were raised/childhood care of your teeth and genetics.

I am an younger gen xer and had regular dental care, braces for about 4 years and I grind. I have not gotten on the whitening train (I think it looks artificial/unnatural), and I drink tea, floss, brush twice a day, etc. My parents had relatively healthy teeth (although not braces) and that's been passed to me. I also think the braces thing was a big flex in the 80s/90s (showed your family was middle class/upper middle class).

My dentist told me a lot of older people don't even take care of cavities or opt for crowns/root canals. He said it is a big generational thing - they just tell him to pull the tooth and move on. That really surprised me.

My uncle (80+) was raised very poor, was successful in his career, but his teeth are a mess - years of cavities and crowns, lack of care and poor childhood nutrition etc. have literally caught up with him. If I remember correctly, he never has had dental insurance at any point in his life, even during his highest earning years.

I think we NOW see teeth as important, and as part of our overall image, but I think that's fairly recent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand not everyone can afford major dental work or handle long procedures, but it’s hard to believe that every person with visibly neglected teeth is dealing with a medical crisis. No one else is thrown off when someone shows up on Zoom with missing teeth or major alignment issues that have clearly gotten worse over decades?

To me, this really does look generational. I’m an older millennial. Pretty much everyone I know grew up with braces, Invisalign, whitening, something. Meanwhile, I see a lot more long-term dental neglect among older generations like Gen X and boomers, who came of age before cosmetic dental care was considered standard. They may simply have a different threshold for what’s “fine.”

And then you look at the younger side. Gen Z and even Gen Alpha kids are whitening teeth immediately after getting braces off. I’ve seen lines of tweens waiting for whitening with their parents. For them, straight and bright teeth aren’t exceptional, they’re expected.

What I still wonder is how people with visibly unmaintained teeth view those who have great ones. Do they think it’s vanity? Excess? Or do they ever wish they’d dealt with things earlier, back when it would have been far easier?

So basically you have zero understanding of teeth and think it’s like buying new shoes?

Ok.

[Anonymous]

At certain points in dental work, like implants, there is a missing tooth. Or maybe several. And it is too soon for a flipper, and the site is waiting for bone grafts to take. So the person may be spending thousands but missing some teeth.

[Anonymous]

I have never whitened my teeth beyond toothpastes because they are sensitive already. They are perfect but not kleenex white any more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand not everyone can afford major dental work or handle long procedures, but it’s hard to believe that every person with visibly neglected teeth is dealing with a medical crisis. No one else is thrown off when someone shows up on Zoom with missing teeth or major alignment issues that have clearly gotten worse over decades?

To me, this really does look generational. I’m an older millennial. Pretty much everyone I know grew up with braces, Invisalign, whitening, something. Meanwhile, I see a lot more long-term dental neglect among older generations like Gen X and boomers, who came of age before cosmetic dental care was considered standard. They may simply have a different threshold for what’s “fine.”

And then you look at the younger side. Gen Z and even Gen Alpha kids are whitening teeth immediately after getting braces off. I’ve seen lines of tweens waiting for whitening with their parents. For them, straight and bright teeth aren’t exceptional, they’re expected.

What I still wonder is how people with visibly unmaintained teeth view those who have great ones. Do they think it’s vanity? Excess? Or do they ever wish they’d dealt with things earlier, back when it would have been far easier?

This has never happened to me. I have never gotten on Zoom and noticed someone's teeth. I really think this is a YOU thing. You are obsessed with teeth.

[Anonymous]

People 100% notice.

I'm an Eastern European immigrant, and when I arrived here in 1999, my teeth had major crowding. It immediately branded me as an immigrant from a lower income country, and limited my career and romantic options.

America expects dental perfection. You may not like it, but it is in fact the standard here, and if you deviate from that standard, you stand out. It's not true that people are tolerant or understanding of your dental flaws. They are not and they notice.

I had my teeth fixed as soon as I could afford to. It wasn't "soon", and it took 3+ years because of my age and severity of the problem. It feels great not to feel people looking at your teeth. My children all had braces early on because I don't want them to even remotely go through what I did.

[Anonymous]

I have no idea. The worst teeth I’ve ever seen were the mom of a “Big 3” student. Making at least $1 million a year and this was a long time ago. Teeth of a bulimic meth user. Is there a medical condition that can cause this and make it untreatable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't met one person who is well-off and has bad teeth. Even the younger brits have good teeth now. I agree that dental costs are terrible and it's not only esthetics, dental health impacts the cardiovascular health too. In addition, most of the damage is done during childhood.

I was about to say, are they British?

Perfect teeth are an American fixation.

Yes, it's a real class marker. I don't know anyone middle class or up in the US with truly bad teeth.

[Anonymous]

Bulimia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have no idea. The worst teeth I’ve ever seen were the mom of a “Big 3” student. Making at least $1 million a year and this was a long time ago. Teeth of a bulimic meth user. Is there a medical condition that can cause this and make it untreatable?

I know someone like this. She is a professional consultant and has the teeth of, as you said, a meth user. I obviously didn't ask but I assume it's a medical condition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand not everyone can afford major dental work or handle long procedures, but it’s hard to believe that every person with visibly neglected teeth is dealing with a medical crisis. No one else is thrown off when someone shows up on Zoom with missing teeth or major alignment issues that have clearly gotten worse over decades?

To me, this really does look generational. I’m an older millennial. Pretty much everyone I know grew up with braces, Invisalign, whitening, something. Meanwhile, I see a lot more long-term dental neglect among older generations like Gen X and boomers, who came of age before cosmetic dental care was considered standard. They may simply have a different threshold for what’s “fine.”

And then you look at the younger side. Gen Z and even Gen Alpha kids are whitening teeth immediately after getting braces off. I’ve seen lines of tweens waiting for whitening with their parents. For them, straight and bright teeth aren’t exceptional, they’re expected.

What I still wonder is how people with visibly unmaintained teeth view those who have great ones. Do they think it’s vanity? Excess? Or do they ever wish they’d dealt with things earlier, back when it would have been far easier?

I think they probably don't care. If they did, it is very easy these days to whiten, straighten, etc.