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.

Anonymous wrote:I’ve got a widening gap between my two front teeth that started around 30 (34 now). Tried Invisalign and hated it and stopped it. Might try traditional braces next but not at the top of my list. I think it’s a combo of time plus not really caring.

Yes, PP here and this is me! It wasn’t an issue before now. Teeth shift with age.

I grind my teeth at night due to the stress of my high-earning job. I was told Invisalign would not fix my issues, and full braces are a huge commitment. I visited the dentist regularly in my teens/20’s and braces were never recommended to me until now in my mid-40s.

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.

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.

It's a lot of effort to keep my teeth presentable. Mine are just really bad. I brush, floss, see the dentist religiously, but there is always something new that's wrong. Two implants, mouth guard, a crown on almost every tooth. I've spent thousands upon thousands, and they just look OK not great.

I tried whitening when I was younger, but that turned out to be a bad option, probably weakening my teeth. I thought Invisalign would help but that was also a waste of time, because I couldn't wear the retainers while redoing a failed implant and they mostly moved back.

Hope these anwers help you understand and have a little empathy.

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

I’ve got a widening gap between my two front teeth that started around 30 (34 now). Tried Invisalign and hated it and stopped it. Might try traditional braces next but not at the top of my list. I think it’s a combo of time plus not really caring.

Everyone isn't as shallow and vain as you, OP.

Clean teeth can be yellow or crooked. A missing tooth could be an implant waiting for a crown. Most adults don't have the mental energy to bother or care to get Invisalign.

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.

Dental work is super expensive, painful and time consuming. My DH spent $50,000 out of pocket on a whole-mouth reconstruction after a lifetime of bad, broken teeth. It took over 2 years. Not everyone has the time, money or inclination.

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.

Lupus and other autoimmune disorders.

Dentists will yell at me about the grinding like it's something I want to do and not really get that I'd do anything to stop grinding my teeth

This. Dentists are awful to people with bad teeth, even if our teeth are straight and we try to take good care of them. My husband will come back from an appointment with a new dentist and be like, oh, he is so nice and friendly, and I see the same person and get major attitude for having worn down, not sparkling white teeth that I have been grinding (and wearing a night guard) since I was a teen. I loved our older dentists who did not have the same expectations for tooth perfection that the newer ones seem to have, and I really don;t want to see the young dentist who bought out his practice.

I mean are you describing mild crowding or like, snaggleteeth? I did invisalign because of some mild crowding and imo the hassle was not worth it. If someone just has one or two teeth that are off I can understand not wanting to deal with that.

Also teeth age as someone else said. You use them every day. They get very worn down. They shift.

fear of the dentist. my DH's problem