brits_americans: I have never been to England, and I have

A is for Apple (

simplyfabulous7) wrote in

brits_americans,
@ 2004-12-07 13:41:00

Current mood:	curious
Current music:	"Sunday Morning" by Maroon Five

I have never been to England, and I have probably only met a handful of British people in my life. I'm sure you know that there is a bit of a stereotype about the teeth of British people, and I'm wondering why this is so. In America, just about everyone gets braces during their early teenage years...is that how it is in the U.K. now? Or are there not many orthodontists? Or do you have socialized medicine or something that could hinder gettting braces, etc? Now is your chance to finally kill the stereotype...

(Post a new comment)

	darth_spacey 2004-12-07 10:52 am UTC (link)
	Brits just aren't as vain as Americans ;-) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	achtungbaby 2004-12-07 11:27 am UTC (link)
	take that wink off!! you know its true! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	simplyfabulous7 2004-12-07 03:20 pm UTC (link)
	i know most people get braces for superficial reasons, but many others get them to prevent health problems pertaining to their jaw, bite, etc. (Reply to this) (Parent)

Don't take this the wrong way but...

luvsrimmer
2004-12-07 10:57 am UTC (link)

I tend to disagree with your "just about everyone gets braces during their early teenage years" comment. I'd say less than 25% of my classmates had braces during that time, and in fact when I had mine it was from third grade through sixth grade. Maybe it's just more prevalent in your area or something, though.

And you should be prepared to be flamed for the "or do you have socialized medicine or something".... cause I'm sure lots of people reading that rolled their eyes.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Don't take this the wrong way but... varpulis 2004-12-07 11:18 am UTC (link)
	i agree with your disagreement. and most of the brits i have encountered in my stay here have had no better or worse teeth than anyone i encountered in america. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Braces historicmouse 2004-12-07 02:45 pm UTC (link)
	Probably 80% of my friends had braces as kids, and if they didn't get braces as a kid, they're wearing them now in college. Maybe it's a California thing? Where did you grow up? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: Braces -

luvsrimmer, 2004-12-07 04:02 pm UTC

Re: Don't take this the wrong way but...

simplyfabulous7
2004-12-07 02:55 pm UTC (link)

i have to agree with historicmouse on this one. i would say about 80% of my friends had braces also...even those from low income homes. and of those who didn't get braces then, they are starting to get them now because their teeth have shifted. i grew up in south carolina, so maybe it's a SC/CA thing.

some of my friends did have braces that young, too. i was on the late spectrum (i got my 12-yr-old molars at 15), so i had my braces from the 7th grade to the 9th.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	Re: Don't take this the wrong way but... danibannani 2004-12-07 08:53 pm UTC (link)
	About half of my classmates had braces, some of us got off with retainers, and some of us have bad teeth. But I'm from NY. (Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: Don't take this the wrong way but... -

ukfabuk, 2004-12-08 06:32 am UTC

Re: Don't take this the wrong way but... -

luvsrimmer, 2004-12-08 11:22 am UTC

	pynkbyrd 2004-12-07 11:15 am UTC (link)
	I know quite a few British people whose teeth are in much better shape than mine are. david84 is one of them. He's got gorgeous teeth. I have to agree with luvsrimmer84. At least you didn't post this in livejournal_uk; they tend to be much less forgiving sometimes :0 (Reply to this) (Thread)

	david84 2004-12-07 03:10 pm UTC (link)
	awww thanks Eve, thats really nice of you to say so. in answer to your question, braces are very common in the UK, ive had 3 different types. I just think Americans (in general) are too obsessed with things like that, like having the 'hollywood smile' would make them a better person? yeah, please dont post this in livejournal_uk, they will kill you! (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	ashfae 2004-12-07 11:24 am UTC (link)
	I have to second (third, fourth) that statement about only 25% or so of people having braces in the States. That said, I will say that most people (particularly of the older generations, and particularly the truly dedicated smokers/drinkers) I've seen/met in the UK in the past year have much worse teeth than Americans. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	simplyfabulous7 2004-12-07 03:05 pm UTC (link)
	i guess braces must be a carolina thing. that's why i had to question the stereotype. i know i've only met a few british people in my life, but they all had ridiculously bad teeth. however, they were all either older or smoked like chimneys soooo that's why i was wondering if braces and beautiful teeth were more prevalent today than in the past. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	adcott 2004-12-07 11:30 am UTC (link)
	To reinforce the stereotype... I have awfully crooked teeth, though not as a consequence of poor access to dental care. I just had no desire to go through so much bother and discomfort for something that is purely cosmetic. However, all of my friends have had nice enough teeth. I am very much the exception, not the norm. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	mayor_taco 2004-12-07 11:47 am UTC (link)
	Well, if me or my family are anything to go by - we have "British teeth" as my wife loves to call it. Mind you - her's aren't so great either (Reply to this) (Thread)

	She sees you when you're sleeping ... abuse_me 2004-12-08 02:50 am UTC (link)
	How dare you flame me on LJ! My vampire teeth are perfect in every way, and now that they have that lovely British yellow sheen to them, they're even better! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	metallikat 2004-12-07 12:03 pm UTC (link)
	Nope, I found it pretty offensive too. To answer the patronising question, any child who needs braces gets them free of charge. Ah, the wonders of socialised medicine. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	fsmos1 2004-12-07 12:07 pm UTC (link)
	and all americans are fat and lazy, right? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	niftybitch 2004-12-07 12:42 pm UTC (link)
	waddles around =) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	sardonic_girl 2004-12-07 02:27 pm UTC (link)
	That's so amazing, I had to pay $3,000 (around ₤1,500?) for my dentalwork, and once the braces were off, my teeth went right back to their original state. And dentists over here try to explain how teeth whiteners take the enamel straight off your teeth, but it doesn't seem to be getting through to most of the population. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	lauralatham 2004-12-07 02:35 pm UTC (link)
	it is just a stereotype - plenty of americans with nasty teeth here. My boyfriend is from England, and he had braces and has really nice teeth. (Reply to this)

	jamesjlee 2004-12-07 02:42 pm UTC (link)
	From what I gather, from my parents is that it used to be awful here but has since become much better. In the 70's it was supposedly particulary awful. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	simplyfabulous7 2004-12-07 02:49 pm UTC (link)
	i think that's true of america, also. i know my mother's generation had to take a particular type of antibiotic as children that stained their teeth HORRIBLY...even with veneers her teeth still are not white at all. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	americanenglish 2004-12-08 12:21 am UTC (link)
	As far as I know, only something like 10% of the UK receives fluoridated water, which may account for higher levels of tooth decay here than in the US. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	luckykaa 2004-12-08 03:19 am UTC (link)
	Yep. In general, there's a certain amount of opposition to contaminating water, and giving people medication without consent just as a matter of principle (and also that added flouride can cause problems such as flourosis). The arguments aren't totally unreasonable, but apparently there is a corellation between added flouride and low levels of tooth decay. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	kenovay 2004-12-09 09:42 am UTC (link)
	o.0 Where do you live? In my bit of London, I'd say 80% of my college has or has had braces, and those that didn't didn't need them. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	lunarx 2004-12-09 08:41 am UTC (link)
	i can't believe i just read thru this whole entire post, all threads.. i have no comment on it, except parts of it were quite entertaining! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	pixie_dust03 2004-12-09 11:18 am UTC (link)
	Don'y you love how it went from dentist to Fat and lazy people to economic standing to eating healthy and then back to the dentist..haha (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

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