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?

Anonymous wrote:
Some simply don't place any importance on their teeth.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Nope. It’s neither “very easy” nor affordable for many. I’m not going to irreparably damage my healthy teeth with veneers or bleaching because standards have changed. I did briefly have braces as a kid — with the focus on changing my bite. I’m glad that I have had excellent, conservative dentists who have focused on health rather than cosmetic issues.

How long do veneers last, anyway? The thought of damaging my healthy teeth for a process that has to be repeated regularly is a No.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Anonymous wrote:A few things:

You are conflating cosmetic dental issues with actual health issues related to teeth. There can be some overlap in them, but they arent' the same thing.

People who just have crowding or yellow teeth don't actually have a medical problem. Sometimes crowding can be bad enough to cause issues, but often not. Yellow teeth are just genetic (or due to staining, but most people with yellow teeth just have high levels of dentin in their teeth and can only achieve white teeth with a lot of whitening). Some people don't care about this stuff. 50 years ago most people had both of these, even wealthy people. It's like baldness. Sure, some people will go to great lengths to address baldness. But it's not a health problem and plenty of people who can afford hair plugs or other treatments just don't bother. So that's part of it.

For people who do have serious health issues with their teeth, it's more complicated than you think. I have a lifelong problem with teeth grinding that has caused serious problems with my teeth. I've had multiple root canals and one tooth will likely need to be pulled and replaced with an implant in the next 10-15 years because the second root canal is not doing as well as I'd hoped. Insurance rarely covers these procedures. Each root canal is between $1500-$3000. Crowns cost a few hundred each time, on top of the cost of the RC. An implant will be even more and take months. I am financially comfortable but I don't have a bottomless pit of money to spend on my teeth. I fully understand why people often put off this work or try something temporary to see how it goes.

4. In addition to the money, it's depressing and frustrating. If you've never had serious issues with teeth you might not get this. The reason my teeth are so bad is (1) genetic, and (2) I had an abusive childhood which is how I became a teeth grinder and why the damage is so bad -- it's been going on so long. 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. I've had mouth guards but I grind through them, and then I developed sleep apnea that is made worse by the guards so I stopped using them. It sucks. I recently heard that botox might disrupt grinding so I'm looking into trying that. People treat me like my teeth problems are a moral failing but they aren't, they are an unfortunate circumstance I've actually put a lot of work into addressing (and a ton of money) but I still have issues.

If you've never had major problems with your teeth, you don't get this. You probably think people with crooked, missing, or yellow teeth are just bad at flossing or something. Your tooth problems could be addressed with regular cleanings and a few treatments at a cosmetic dentist, while my teeth issues will wind up costing me tens of thousands of dollars, involve hours of time with various specialists, and I'll still probably never have great teeth.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Anonymous wrote: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.