Why Do High Earners Let Their Teeth Fall Apart?

[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?

lol, typical millennial. Braces were routine for GenX too, ya know.

Even my boomer mother had braces!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This seems like a particular fixation of yours. It is rare that I notice someone’s teeth.

Thank you,
From someone with bad teeth

Same here. I have a colleague who notices teeth. Meanwhile, I rarely think to look or notice and just don't pay much attention to teeth. Just like some people look at others' clothing, shoes, nails, jewelry, while others never notice.

[Anonymous]

Invisilign is a huge PITA! I’m 40, I didn’t need braces as a kid/teen but now I definitely have crowding and things moving.

It’s not the money, I just don’t want to deal with the pain and the things stuck in my mouth and the trays and blah blah blah. And a retainer forever?

I’m a happy, busy person and my teeth aren’t so terrible. I can chew and talk and I think I have a nice smile. I’m busy living my life. How important is a little crowding??

[Anonymous]

OP is brainrotted by looking at people with uncanny fake teeth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Invisilign is a huge PITA! I’m 40, I didn’t need braces as a kid/teen but now I definitely have crowding and things moving.

It’s not the money, I just don’t want to deal with the pain and the things stuck in my mouth and the trays and blah blah blah. And a retainer forever?

I’m a happy, busy person and my teeth aren’t so terrible. I can chew and talk and I think I have a nice smile. I’m busy living my life. How important is a little crowding??

This! The retainer forever is really unrealistic. I wonder if orthodontists realize that...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Invisilign is a huge PITA! I’m 40, I didn’t need braces as a kid/teen but now I definitely have crowding and things moving.

It’s not the money, I just don’t want to deal with the pain and the things stuck in my mouth and the trays and blah blah blah. And a retainer forever?

I’m a happy, busy person and my teeth aren’t so terrible. I can chew and talk and I think I have a nice smile. I’m busy living my life. How important is a little crowding??

This! The retainer forever is really unrealistic. I wonder if orthodontists realize that...

I posted earlier about being old and still wearing my retainers every night. I kind of love them, like a security blanket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep noticing something I just can’t wrap my head around. I know multiple people who earn high six figures: doctors, senior executives, people who clearly have the means to take care of themselves. They’re now in their mid to late forties, and their teeth are in noticeably bad shape. Crooked, crowded, shifting, in some cases even missing.

What gets me is that I remember them in their twenties. Back then, sure, they had some slight crookedness, nothing major. The kind of thing that could’ve been fixed easily with braces or Invisalign. Instead, it was ignored for decades, and now everything is much harder to fix.

One person I meet with on Zoom has missing teeth, and it’s distracting every time. I honestly don’t understand how someone can be that successful and not feel self-conscious about it. For me, I’d be embarrassed if my teeth looked like that. It also gives a certain impression, whether fair or not. It makes you wonder about hygiene, self-care, or whether they’re putting effort into their overall appearance.

Meanwhile I’ve done what I can: whitening, Invisalign, good maintenance. Especially now, when most of our interactions are on camera, presentation matters.

Is it denial? Avoidance? Not caring? I’m genuinely curious what’s behind it.

Mind your own business. You aren't the director of fashion police.

[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.

This^.

[Anonymous]

Human bodies aren't perfect and certainly not for pleasing your aesthetics.

[Anonymous]

This is a scourge of UMC people these days -- the belief that if you *can* perfect some aspect of your physical appearance, you have an obligation to do so. Overweight? Get on GLP1s. Yellow teeth? Whiten. Crooked teeth? Invisalign. Missing teeth? Implants. Pale? Spray tan. Short? Heels/lifts. Hair frizz? Keratin. And on and on.

I am not required to spend all my hard earned money on making my body look more appealing to some acquaintance. If I choose to do any of that for myself, good for me. But expecting it so you can be spared the burden of looking at someone with physical imperfections? Nope.

How do you even function in public spaces where there are middle class and poor people who can't afford to do any of that stuff? It honestly must be hard to function.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a scourge of UMC people these days -- the belief that if you *can* perfect some aspect of your physical appearance, you have an obligation to do so. Overweight? Get on GLP1s. Yellow teeth? Whiten. Crooked teeth? Invisalign. Missing teeth? Implants. Pale? Spray tan. Short? Heels/lifts. Hair frizz? Keratin. And on and on.

I am not required to spend all my hard earned money on making my body look more appealing to some acquaintance. If I choose to do any of that for myself, good for me. But expecting it so you can be spared the burden of looking at someone with physical imperfections? Nope.

How do you even function in public spaces where there are middle class and poor people who can't afford to do any of that stuff? It honestly must be hard to function.

Honestly, perfectly straight teeth have been a standard expectation for middleclass and above children for several decades now. It's not "these days."

[Anonymous]

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.”

I'm a Gen Xer and everyone I know had braces and takes care of their teeth. My boomer parents had excellent teeth.

Everyone I know had braces when I was a teen. Never past high school, but Middle School and High School, they were there (along with our firecracker bangs, thankyouverymuch). Maybe you're just seeing the people that didn't wear their retainer!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I keep noticing something I just can’t wrap my head around. I know multiple people who earn high six figures: doctors, senior executives, people who clearly have the means to take care of themselves. They’re now in their mid to late forties, and their teeth are in noticeably bad shape. Crooked, crowded, shifting, in some cases even missing.

What gets me is that I remember them in their twenties. Back then, sure, they had some slight crookedness, nothing major. The kind of thing that could’ve been fixed easily with braces or Invisalign. Instead, it was ignored for decades, and now everything is much harder to fix.

One person I meet with on Zoom has missing teeth, and it’s distracting every time. I honestly don’t understand how someone can be that successful and not feel self-conscious about it. For me, I’d be embarrassed if my teeth looked like that. It also gives a certain impression, whether fair or not. It makes you wonder about hygiene, self-care, or whether they’re putting effort into their overall appearance.

Meanwhile I’ve done what I can: whitening, Invisalign, good maintenance. Especially now, when most of our interactions are on camera, presentation matters.

Is it denial? Avoidance? Not caring? I’m genuinely curious what’s behind it.

Mind your own business. You aren't the director of fashion police.

Or Teeth Police

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a scourge of UMC people these days -- the belief that if you *can* perfect some aspect of your physical appearance, you have an obligation to do so. Overweight? Get on GLP1s. Yellow teeth? Whiten. Crooked teeth? Invisalign. Missing teeth? Implants. Pale? Spray tan. Short? Heels/lifts. Hair frizz? Keratin. And on and on.

I am not required to spend all my hard earned money on making my body look more appealing to some acquaintance. If I choose to do any of that for myself, good for me. But expecting it so you can be spared the burden of looking at someone with physical imperfections? Nope.

How do you even function in public spaces where there are middle class and poor people who can't afford to do any of that stuff? It honestly must be hard to function.

Honestly, perfectly straight teeth have been a standard expectation for middleclass and above children for several decades now. It's not "these days."

And yet tons of MC and above people do not have perfectly straight white teeth, so square that.

Just like not everyone is thin, or has perfect skin or hair, or is well dressed. Turns out human beings are ... human.

[Anonymous]

Priorities